THE 


PLANT    HUNTERS 


OR 


ADVENTURES    AMONG    THE     HIMALAYA 
MOUNTAINS. 


BY 

CAPTAIN    MAYNE    REID, 

ADIHOB  o?  "  THE  DESERT  HOME,"  "  THE  Youua  YAGERS,"  MO.  ETO. 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


BOSTON: 
TIOKNOR    AND    FIELDS, 

M  DCCC  LXTI. 


fei5rtt<5if. 


TO  MY  EARLY  INSTRUCTOR, 
THE   REVEREND   DAVID   M'KEE, 

OF  ANAGHLONE. 


BT12551 


f 


CONTENTS. 


ttA*  PAKE 

I.    THE    PLANT-HUNTER 1 

II.   KARL  LINDEN 5 

III.  CASPAR,   OSSAROO,  AND   FRITZ 10 

IV.  IS  IT  BLOOD  ? 15 

V.   THE   FISHING-BIRDS 22 

VI.   THE    TERAI 28 

VII.    TAPPING    THE    PALMYRA 34 

VIII.   THE   SAMBUR   STAG 39 

IX.   A   NIGHT    MARAUDER 44 

X.   A   TALK   ABOUT  TIGERS 51 

XI.   A   TIGER   TAKEN   BY   BIRDLIME 56 

XII.  A   RARE  RAFT 63 

XIII.   THE   TALLEST   GRASS   IN   THE   WORLD 69 

XIV.   THE   MAN-EATERS 75 

XV.   THE   DEATH   OF   THE   MAN-EATER 80 

xvi.  KARL'S  ADVENTURE  WITH  THE  LONG  LIPPED 

BEAR 89 

XVII.   OSSAROO  IN   TROUBLE 95 

XVIII.   THE   AXIS    AND    PANTHER 100 

XIX.   THE   PESTS   OF   THE   TROPICS 108 

XX.    THE    MUSK-DEER.  ..  ^ 116 

XXI.    THE    GLACIER , 121 

XXII.   THE    GLACIER-SLIDE 127 

XXIII.  THE    PASS 132 

XXIV.  THE    LONE    MOUNTAIN    VALLEY "  187 

XXV.   GRUNTING   OXEN 141 

XXVI.   THE   YAKS 148 

XXVII.    CUBING    THE    YAK-MEAT 153 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAP.    •  PA81 

XXVIII.  THE    BOIMNG    SPRING 157 

XXIX.   AN   ALARMING    DISCOVERT 162 

XXX.   PROSPECTS   AND  PRECAUTIONS 167 

XXXI.   MEASURING   THE    CREVASSE 172 

XXXII.   THE    HUT 178 

XXXIII.  THE   BARKING-DEER 182 

XXXIV.  THE   ARGUS-PHEASANT 189 

XXXV.    STALKING    THE    YAKS 194 

XXXVI.   CASPAR    RETREATS   TO   THE   ROCK 199 

XXXVII.    FACE    TO   FACE    WITH   A  FIERCE  BULL 204 

XXXVIII.   CASPAR  IN   THE   CLEFT 209 

XXXIX.   THE    SEROW 217 

XL.   OSSAROO    CHASED    BY  WILD   DOGS 223 

XLI.   OSSAROO'S   REVENGE 231 

XLII.  THE    CREVASSE   BRIDGED 236 

XLIII.    THE   PASSAGE   OF   THE    CREVASSE 242 

XLIV.   NEW  HOPES 248 

XLV.   NEW   SURVEY   OF   THE    CLIFF 255 

XLVI.  KARL  CLIMBS   THE  LEDGE 261 

XLVII.   KARL    IN   A   FIX 267 

XLVIII.    THE   TIBET   BEAR 271 

XLIX.   AN  AWKWARD   DESCENT 276 

L.   A  MYSTERIOUS   MONSTER 282 

LI.   "  BANG  " 288 

MI.   SETTING    THE    NET 293 

Mil.   OSSAROO    STUCK   FAST .* 297 

LIV.   A  DEMAND   FOR   BEARDS   GREASE 302 

LV.   BEAR-HUNT  BY  TORCH-LIGHT 307 

LVI.   LOST    IN   THE    CAVE 314 

LVII.   A   RAMBLE   IN   THE   DARK 318 

LVIII.    CAVERN-LIFE  .- 323 

LIX.   EXPLORATION    OF  THE    CAVE 327 

LX.   PRESERVING   THE  BEAR*S  MEAT 323 

LXI.   DREAMS 337 

LXII.   HOPES 341 

LXIII.   LIGHT    IN    DARKNESS 345 

LXIV.   CONCLUSION .    352 


THE    PLANT-HUNTERS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE   PLANT-HUNTER. 

"  A  PLANT-HUNTER  !  what  is  that  ? 

"  We  have  heard  of  fox-hunters,  of  deer-hunters,  of 
bear  and  buffalo-hunters,  of  lion-hunters,  and  of  *  boy- 
hunters  ; '  of  a  plant-hunter  never. 

"  Stay !  Truffles  are  plants.  Dogs  are  used  in  find- 
ing them ;  and  the  collector  of  these  is  termed  a  truffle- 
hunter.  Perhaps  this  is  what  the  Captain  means  ?  " 

No,  my  boy  reader.  Something  very  different  from 
that.  My  plant-hunter  is  no  fungus-digger.  His  occu- 
pation is  of  a  nobler  kind  than  contributing  merely  to 
the  capricious  palate  of  the  gourmand.  To  his  labors 
the  whole  civilized  world  is  indebted — yourself  among 
the  rest.  Yes,  you  owe  him  gratitude  for  many  a 
bright  joy.  For  the  varied  sheen  of  your  garden  you 
are  indebted  to  him.  The  gorgeous  dahlia  that  nods 
over  the  flower-bed — the  brilliant  peony  that  sparkles 
on  the  parterre — the  lovely  camelia  that  greets  you  in 


2  THE   PLANT-HUNTER. 

the ,  greenhouse.,— -tlciq  kalmias,  the  azaleas,,  the  rhodo- 
dendron^ the  sfsrr j  jessamines,  the  gerania,  and  a  thou- 
sand other*  floral. beauties,,  arfy  one  and  all  of  them,  the 
gifts!  df  th£tpla*nUbtojaterV  .  By  his  agency  England — 
cold  cloudy  England — has  become  a  garden  of  flowers, 
more  varied  in  species  and  brighter  in  bloom  than 
those  that  blossomed  in  the  famed  valley  of  Cashmere. 
Many  of  the  noble  trees  that  lend  grace  to  our  English 
landscape, — most  of  the  beautiful  shrubs  that  adorn 
our  villas,  and  gladden  the  prospect  from  our  cottage- 
windows,  are  the  produce  of  his  industry.  But  for  him, 
many  fruits,  and  vegetables,  and  roots,  and  berries,  that 
garnish  your  table  at  dinner  and  dessert,  you  might 
never  have  tasted.  But  for  him  these  delicacies  might 
never  have  reached  your  lips.  A  good  word,  then,  for 
the  plant-hunter ! 

And  now,  boy  reader,  in  all  seriousness  I  shall  tell 
you  what  I  mean  by  a  u  plant-hunter."  I  mean  a  per- 
son who  devotes  all  his  time  and  labor  to  the  collection 
of  rare  plants  and  flowers — in  short,  one  who  makes 
this  occupation  his  profession.  These  are  not  simply 
*'  botanists  " — though  botanical  knowledge  they  must 
needs  possess — but,  rather,  what  has  hitherto  been 
termed  "  botanical  collectors." 

Though  these  men  may  not  stand  high  in  the  eyes  of 
the  scientific  world — though  the  closet-systematist  may 
affect  to  underrate  their  calling,  I  dare  boldly  affirm 
that  the  humblest  of  their  class  has  done  more  service 
to  the  human  race  than  even  the  great  Linneus  himself. 
They  are,  indeed,  the  botanists  of  true  value,  who  have 
not  only  imparted  to  us  a  knowledge  of  the  world's 
vegetation,  but  have  brought  its  rarest  forms  before  our 


THE    PLANT-HUNTER.  9 

very  eyes — have  placed  its  brightest  flowers  under  our 
very  noses,  as  it  were — flowers,  that  but  for  them  had 
been  still  "  blushing  unseen,"  and  "  wasting  their  sweet- 
ness on  the  desert  air." 

My  young  reader,  do  not  imagine  that  I  have  any 
desire  to  underrate  the  merits  of  the  scientific  botanist. 
No,  nothing  of  the  sort.  I  am  only  desirous  of  bringing 
into  the  foreground  a  class  of  men  whose  services  in  my 
opinion  the  world  has  not  yet  sufficiently  acknowledged— 
I  mean  the  botanical  collectors — the  plant-hunters. 

It  is  just  possible  that  you  never  dreamt  of  the  exist- 
ence of  such  a  profession  or  calling,  and  yet  from  the 
earliest  historic  times  there  have  been  men  who  fol- 
lowed it.  There  were  plant-collectors  in  the  days  of 
Pliny,  who  furnished  the  gardens  of  Herculaneum  and 
Pompeii ;  there  were  plant-collectors  employed  by  the 
wealthy  mandarins  of  China,  by  the  royal  sybarites  of 
Delhi  and  Cashmere,  at  a  time  when  our  semi-barbarous 
ancestors  were  contented  with  the  wild  flowers  of  their 
native  woods.  But  even  in  England  the  calling  of  the 
plant-hunter  is  far  from  being  one  of  recent  origin.  It 
dates  as  early  as  the  discovery  and  colonization  of  Amer- 
ica ;  and  the  names  of  the  Tradescants,  the  Bartrams, 
and  the  Catesbys — true  plant-hunters — are  among  the 
most  respected  in  the  botanical  world.  To  them  we 
are  indebted  for  our  tulip-trees,  our  magnolias,  our  ma- 
ples, our  robinias,  our  western  platantis,  and  a  host  of 
other  noble  trees,  that  already  share  the  forest,  and  con- 
test with  our  native  species,  the  right  to  our  soil. 

At  no  period  of  the  world  has  the  number  of  plant- 
hunters  been  so  great  as  at  present.  Will  you  believe 
it,  hundreds  of  men  are  engaged  in  this  noble  and  useful 
1* 


4  THE    PLANT-HUNTEK. 

calling  ?  Among  them  may  be  found  representatives  of 
all  the  nations  of  Europe — Germans  in  greatest  num- 
ber ;  but  there  are  Swedes  and  Russ  as  well,  Danes  and 
Britons,  Frenchmen,  Spaniards,  and  Portuguese,  Swiss 
and  Italians.  They  may  be  found  pursuing  their  avo- 
cation in  every  corner  of  the  world — through  the 
sequestered  passes  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  upon  the 
pathless  prairies,  in  the  deep  barrancas  of  the  Andes, 
amid  the  tangled  forests  of  the  Amazon  and  the  Ori- 
noco, on  the  steppes  of  Siberia,  in  the  glacier  valleys 
of  the  Himalaya — everywhere — everywhere  amid  wild 
and  savage  scenes,  where  the  untrodden  and  the  un- 
known invite  to  fresh  discoveries  in  the  world  of  vege- 
tation. Wandering  on  with  eager  eyes,  scanning  with 
scrutiny  every  leaf  and  flower — toiling  over  hill  and 
dale— climbing  the  steep  cliff — wading  the  dank  morass 
or  the  rapid  river — threading  his  path  through  thorny 
thicket,  through  " chapparal "  and  "jungle" — sleeping 
in  the  open  air — hungering,  thirsting,  risking  life  amidst 
wild  beasts,  and  wilder  men, — such  are  a  few  of  the 
trials  that  chequer  the  life  of  the  plant-hunter. 

From  what  motive,  you  will  ask,  do  men  choose  to 
undergo  such  hardships  and  dangers  ? 

The  motives  are  various.  Some  are  lured  on  by  the 
pure  love  of  botanical  science ;  others  by  a  fondness  for 
travel.  Still  others  are  the  employes  of  regal  or  noble 
patrons — of  high-born  botanical  amateurs.  Not  a  few 
are  the  emissaries  of  public  gardens  and  arboretums ; 
and  yet  another  few — perchance  of  humbler  names  and 
more  limited  means,  though  not  less  zealous  in  their 
Well-beloved  calling,— are  collectors  for  the  "  nursery." 

Yes  j  you  will  no  doubt  be  astonished  to  hear  that 


THE    PLANT-HUNTER.  5 

the  plain  "  seedsman  "  at  the  town  end,  who  sells  you 
your  roots  and  bulbs  and  seedlings,  keeps  in  his  pay 
a  staff  of  plant-hunters — men  of  botanical  skill,  who 
traverse  the  whole  globe  in  search  of  new  plants  and 
flowers,  that  may  gratify  the  heart  and  gladden  the 
eyas  of  the  lovers  of  floral  beauty. 

Need  I  say  that  the  lives  of  such  men  are  fraught 
with  adventures  and  hair-breadth  perils?  You  shall 
judge  for  yourself  when  I  have  narrated  to  you  a  few 
chapters  from  the  experience  of  a  young  Bavarian 
botanist, — Karl  Linden — while  engaged  in  a  plant- 
hunting  expedition  to  the  Alps  of  India — the  stu- 
pendous mountains  of  the  Himalaya. 


KARL    LINDEN. 


CHAPTER  II. 

KARL  "LINDEN. 

• 
KARL  LINDEN  was  a  native  of  Upper  Bavaria, 

near  the  Tyrolese  frontier.  Not  high-born,  for  his 
father  was  a  gardener ;  but,  what  is  of  more  importance 
in  modern  days,  well  brought  up  and  well  educated. 
A  gardener's  son  may  still  be  a  gentleman;  and  so 
may  a  gardener  himself,  for  that  matter,  or  he  may 
not.  There  are  many  senses  to  this  much-abused  title. 
It  so  happens,  that  young  Linden  was  a  gentleman  in 
the  true  sense ;  that  is,  he  was  possessed  of  a  feeling 
heart,  a  nice  sense  of  honesty  and  honor,  and  was,  not- 
withstanding his  humble  lineage,  an  educated  and  ac- 
complished youth.  His  father,  the  gardener,  was  a 
man  of  ambitious  spirit,  though  quite  unlettered ;  and, 
having  himself  often  experienced  the  disadvantage  of 
this  condition,  he  resolved  that  his  son  never  should. 

In  most  parts  of  Germany,  education  is  considered 
a  thing  of  value,  and  is  eagerly  sought  after.  It  is 
provided  liberally  for  all  classes ;  and  the  Germans, 
as  a  people,  are  perhaps  the  best  educated  in  the  world. 
It  is  partly  owing  to  this  fact,  and  partly  to  their  ener- 
getic industry,  that  they  exercise  so  great  an  influence 
in  the  affairs  of  the  world ;  in  the  arts  and  sciences,  in 


KARL    LINDEN.  * 

music,  painting,  and  the  study  of  nature — above  all,  in 
a  knowledge  of  botany.  I  cannot  believe  that  the  Ger- 
mans stand  highest  as  an  intellectual  race,  but  only  as 
an  educated  people.  What  a  pity  I  could  not  add,  that 
they  are  a  free  people  ;  but  in  that  their  condition 
differs  less  from  our  own  than  we  fondly  imagine. 

At  nineteen  years  of  age,  young  Karl  Linden  did 
not  consider  them  as  free  as  they  deserved  to  be.  He 
was  then  a  student  in  one  of  the  universities ;  and, 
naturally  enough,  had  imbibed  those  principles  of  pa- 
triotic liberty,  that,  in  1848,  were  stirring  in  the  Ger- 
man heart. 

He  did  more  than  advocate  his  faith  by  empty  words. 
Joined  with  his  college  compatriots,  he  endeavored  to 
have  it  carried  into  practice ;  and  he  was  one  of  those 
brave  students,  wh§,  in  1848,  gave  freedom  to  Baden 
and  Bavaria. 

But  the  hydra  league  of  crowned  heads  was  too 
strong  to  be  so  easily  broken  ;  and,  among  other  youth- 
ful patriots,  our  hero  was  forced  to  flee  from  his  native 
land. 

An  exile  in  London — "  a  refugee,"  as  it  is  termed— 
he  scarce  knew  what  to  do.  His  parent  was  "too  poor 
to  send  him  money  for  his  support.  Besides,  his  father 
was  not  over  well  pleased  with  him.  The  old  man  was 
one  of  those  who  still  clung  to  a  belief  in  the  divine 
right  of  kings,  and  was  contented  with  the  "  powers 
that  be,"  no  matter  how  tyrannical  they  be.  He  was 
angry  with  Karl,  for  having  made  a  fool  of  himself 
by  turning  patriot,  or  "rebel,"  as  it  pleases  crowned 
monsters  to  term  it.  He  had  intended  him  for  better 
things ;  a  secretary  to  some  great  noble,  a  post  in  the 


8  KARL    LINDEN. 

Custom-house,  or,  may  be,  a  commission  in  the  body- 
guard of  some  petty  tyrant.  Any  of  these  would  have 
fulfilled  the  ambitious  hopes  of  Karl's  father.  The  lat- 
ter, therefore,  was  displeased  with  the  conduct  of  his 
son.  Karl  had  no  hope  from  home,  at  least  until  the 
anger  of  the  old  man  should  die  out. 

What  was  the  young  refugee  to  do  ?  He  found  Eng- 
lish hospitality  cold  enough.  He  was  free  enough ; 
lhat  is,  to  wander  the  streets  and  beg. 

Fortunately,  he  bethought  him  of  a  resource.  At 
intervals,  during  his  life,  he  had  aided  his  father  in  the 
occupation  of  gardening.  He  could  dig,  plant,  and 
sow.  He  could  prune  trees,  and  propagate  flbwers  to 
perfection.  He  understood  the  management  of  the 
greenhouse  and  hothouse,  the  cold-pit  and  the  forcing- 
pit  ;  nay,  more — he  understood  th^  names  and  nature 
of  most  of  the  plants  that  are  cultivated  in  European 
countries  ;  in  other  words,  he  was  a  botanist.  His 
early  opportunities  in  the  garden  of  a  great  noble, 
where  his  father  was  superintendent,  had  given  him 
this  knowledge ;  and,  having  a  taste  for  the  thing,  he 
had  made  botany  a  study. 

If  he  could  do  no  better,  he  might  take  a  hand  in  a 
garden,  or  a  nursery,  or  some  such  place.  That  would 
be  better  than  wandering  idly  about  the  streets  of  the 
metropolis,  and  half-starving  in  the  midst  of  its  profuse 
plenty. 

With  such  ideas  in  his  mind,  the  young  refugee 
presented  himself  at  the  gate  of  one  of  the  magnificent 
"  nurseries,"  in  which  great  London  abounds.  He  told 
his  story ;  he  was  employed. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  intelligent  and  enterpris- 


KARL    LINDEN.  9 

ing  proprietor  of  the  establishment  discovered  the  bo- 
tanical knowledge  of  his  German  protege.  He  wanted 
just  such  a  man.  He  had  "plant-hunters"  in  other 
parts  of  the  world ;  in  North  and  South  America,  in 
Africa,  in  Australia.  He  wanted  a  collector  for  India  ; 
he  wanted  to  enrich  his  stock  from  the  flora  of  the 
Himalayas,  just  then  coming  into  popular  celebrity, 
on  account  of  the  magnificent  forms  of  vegetation  dis- 
covered there,  by  the  great  "  plant-hunters  "  Royle  and 
Hooker. 

The  splendid  pine-trees,  arums,  and  screw-pines ; 
the  varied  species  of  bambusa,  the  grand  magnolias 
and  rhododendrons,  which  grow  so  profusely  in  the 
Himalaya  valleys,  had  been  described,  and  many  of 
them  introduced  into  European  gardens.  These  plants 
were  therefore  the  rage  ;  and,  consequently,  the  deside- 
rata of  the  nurseryman. 

What  rendered  them  still  more  interesting  and  valu- 
able was,  that  many  of  those  beautiful  exotics  would 
bear  the  open  air  of  high  latitudes,  on  account  of  the 
elevated  region  of  their  native  habitat  possessing  a 
similarity  of  temperature  and  climate  to  that  of  north- 
ern Europe. 

More  than  one  "  botanical  collector  "  was  at  this  time 
despatched  to  explore  the  chain  of  the  Indian  Alps, 
whose  vast  extent  offered  scope  enough  for  all. 

Among  the  number  of  these  plant-hunters,  then,  was 
our  hero,  Karl  Linden. 


10  CASPAR,   OSSAROO,   AND    FRITZ. 


CHAPTER  III. 

CASPAR,    OSSAROO,   AND    FRITZ. 

AN  English  ship  carried  the  plant-hunter  to  Calcutta, 
and  his  own  good  legs  carried  him  to  the  foot  of  the 
Himalaya  Mountains.  He  might  have  travelled  there 
in  many  other  ways — for  perhaps  in  no  country  in  the 
world  are  there  so  many  modes  of  travelling  as  in  India. 
Elephants,  camels,  horses,  asses,  mules,  ponies,  buffaloes, 
oxen,  zebus,  yaks,  and  men,  are  all  made  use  of  to 
transport  the  traveller  from  place  to  place.  Even  dogs, 
goats,  and  sheep,  are  trained  as  beasts  of  burden ! 

Had  Karl  Linden  been  a  Government  emissary,  or 
the  employe  of  some  regal  patron,  he  would  very  likely 
have  travelled  in  grand  style — either  upon  an  elephant 
in  a  sumptuous  howdah,  or  in  a  palanquin  with  relays 
of  bearers,  and  a  host  of  coolies  to  answer  to  his  call. 

As  it  was,  he  had  no  money  to  throw  away  in  such 
a  foolish  manner.  It  was  not  public  money  he  waa 
spending,  but  that  of  private  enterprise,  and  his  means 
were  necessarily  limited.  He  was  not  the  less  likely  to 
accomplish  the  object  for  which  he  had  been  sent  out. 
Many  a  vast  and  pompous  expedition  has  gone  forth 
regardless  either  of  expense  or  waste — aye,  many  a  one 
that  has  returned  without  having  accomplished  the  ob< 


CASPAR,    OSSAROO,    AND    FRITZ.  11 

ject  intended.  "  Too  many  cooks  spoil  the  dinner,"  id  a 
familiar  old  adage,  very  applicable  to  exploring  expedi- 
tions ;  and  it  is  a  question,  whether  unaided  individual 
enterprise  has  not  effected  more  in  the  way  of  scientific 
and  geographical  discovery,  than  has  been  done  by  the 
more  noisy  demonstrations  of  governments.  At  all 
events,  it  is  certain  enough,  that  the  exploring  ex- 
peditions to  which  we  are  most  indebted  for  our  geog- 
nostic  knowledge  are  those  that  have  been  fitted  out 
with  the  greatest  economy.  As  an  example,  I  may 
point  to  the  tracing  of  the  northern  coasts  of  Amer- 
ica— which,  after  costing  enormous  sums  of  money, 
and  the  lives  of  many  brave  men,  has  been  done, 
after  all,  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  with  a 
simple  boat's  crew,  and  at  an  expense,  that  would  not 
have  franked  one  of  our  grand  Arctic  exploring  expe- 
ditions for  a  week ! 

I  might  point  to  the  economic  mode  by  which  the 
Americans  are  laying  open  their  whole  continent — a 
single  officer  having  lately  been  sent  to  descend  the 
Amazon  alone;  and  explore  its  extensive  valley  from 
the  Andes  to  the  Atlantic.  This  was  performed,  and  a 
copious  report  delivered  to  the  American  government 
and  to  the  world  at  an  expense  of  a  few  hundred  dol- 
lars ;  whereas  an  English  exploration  of  similar  impor- 
tance would  have  cost  some  thousands  of  pounds,  with 
perhaps  a  much  scantier  return  for  the  outlay. 

As  with  the  American  explorer,  so  was  it 'with  our 
plant-hunter.  There  was  no  expensive  equipment  or 
crowd  of  idle  attendants.  He  reached  the  Himalayas 
on  foot,  and  on  foot  he  had  resolved  to  climb  their  vast 
slopes  and  traverse  their  rugged  valleys. 


12  CASPAR,    OSSAROO,    AND    FRITZ. 

But  Karl  Linden  was  not  alone.  Far  from  it.  He 
was  in  company  with  him  he  held  dearest  of  all  others 
in  the  world — his  .only  brother.  Yes,  the  stout  youth 
by  his  side  is  his  brother  Caspar,  who  had  joined  him 
in  his  exile,  and  now  shares  the  labors  and  perils  of  his 
expedition.  There  is  no  great  difference  between  them 
in  point  of  size,  though  Caspar  is  two  years  the  younger. 
But  Caspar's  strength  has  not  been  wasted  by  too  much 
study.  He  has  never  been  penned  up  within  the  walls 
of  a  college  x>r  a  city  ;  and,  fresh  from  his  native  hills, 
his  stout  build  and  bright  ruddy  cheek  present  a  con- 
trast to  the  thinner  form  and  paler  visage  of  the 
student 

Their  costumes  are  in  keeping  with  their  looks. 
That  of  Karl  exhibits  the  sombre  hue  of  the  man  of 
learning,  while  on  his  head  he  wears  the  proscribed 
"  Hecker  hat."  Caspar's  dress  is  of  a  more  lively  style, 
and  consists  of  a  frock  of  Tyrolese  green,  a  cap  of  the 
same  color,  with  long  projecting  peak,  over-alls  of  blue 
velveteen,  and  Blucher  boots. 

Both  carry  guns,  with  the  usual  accoutrements  of 
sportsmen.  Caspar's  gun  is  a  double-barrelled  fowling- 
piece, — while  that  of  Karl  is  a  rifle  of  the  species  known 
as  a  "  Swiss  yager." 

A  true  hunter  is  Caspar,  and  although  still  but  a  boy, 
he  has  often  followed  the  chamois  in  its  dizzy  path 
among  his  native  mountains.  Of  letters  he  knows 
little,  for  Caspar  has  not  been  much  to  school ;  but  in 
matters  of  hunter-craft  he  is  well  skilled.  A  brave 
and  cheerful  youth  is  Caspar — foot-free  and  untiring— 
and  Karl  could  not  have  found  in  all  India  a  better 
%ssistant. 


CASPAR,   OSSAROO,   AND    FRITZ.  13 

But  there  is  still  another  individual  in  the  train  of 
the  plant-hunter — the  guide,  Ossaroo.  It  would  take 
pages  to  describe  Ossaroo ;  and  he  is  worthy  of  a  full 
description  :  but  we  shall  leave  him  to  be  known  by  his 
deeds.  Suffice  it  to  say,  that  Ossaroo  is  a  Hindoo  of 
handsome  proportions,  with  the  swarth  complexion, 
large  beautiful  eyes,  and  luxuriant  black  hair,  which 
characterize  his  race.  He  is  by  caste  a  "  shikarree,"  or 
hunter,  and  is  not  only  so  by  hereditary  descent,  but  he 
is  one  of  the  noted  "  mighty  hunters  "  in  the  province 
to  which  he  belongs.  Far  and  wide  is  his  name  known 
— for  Ossaroo  possesses,  what  is  somewhat  rare  among 
his  indolent  countrymen,  an  energy  of  mind,  combined 
with  strength  and  activity  of  body,  that  would  have 
given  him  distinction  anywhere ;  but  among  a  people 
where  such  qualities  are  extremely  rare,  Ossaroo  is  of 
course  a  hunter-hero — the  Nimrod  of  his  district. 

Ossaroo's  dbstume  and  equipments  differ  entirely 
from  those  of  his  fellow-travellers.  A  white  cotton  tunic, 
and  wide  trousers,  sandals,  a  scarlet  sash  around  the 
waist,  a  check  shawl  upon  the  head,  a  light  spear  in  the 
hand,  a  bamboo  bow,  a  quiver  of  arrows  on  his  back, 
a  long  knife  stuck  behind  the  sash,  a  shoulder-belt  sus- 
taining a  pouch,  with  various  trinket-like  implements 
suspended  over  his  breast.  Such  is  the  coup  d'ceil  pre- 
sented by  the  shikarree. 

Ossaroo  had  never  in  his  life  climbed  the  mighty 
Himalayas.  He  was  a  native  of  the  hot  plains — a 
hunter  of  the  jungles — but  for  all  that  the  botanist 
had  engaged  him  for  a  guide.  It  was  not  so  much  a 
guide  to  enable  them  to  find  their  route,  as  one  who 
could  assist  them  in  their  daily  duties,  who  knew  the 


14  CASPAR,    OSSAROO,    AND    FRITZ. 

way  of  life  peculiar  to  this  part  of  the  world,  who  knew 
how  to  keep  house  in  the  open  air,  Ossaroo  was  the  very 
man  of  all  others. 

Moreover  the  expedition  was  just  to  his  mind.  He 
had  long  gazed  upon  the  gigantic  Himalaya  from  the 
distant  plains — he  had  looked  upon  its  domes  and  peaks 
glittering  white  in  the  robes  of  eternal  snow,  and  had 
often  desired  to  make  a  hunting  excursion  thither.  But 
no  good  opportunity  had  presented  itself,  although 
through  all  his  life  he  had  lived  within  sight  of  those 
stupendous  peaks.  He,  therefore,  joyfully  accepted  the 
offer  of  the  young  botanist,  and  became  "  hunter  and 
guide  "  to  the  expedition. 

There  was  still  another  of  the  hunter-race  in  that 
company— one  as  much  addicted  to  the  chase  as  either 
Ossaroo  or  Caspar.  This  was  a  quadruped  as  tall  as  a 
mastiff  dog,  but  whose  black-and-tan  color  and  long 
pendulous  ears  bespoke  him  of  a  different  race — the 
race  of  the  hound.  He  was,  in  truth,  a  splendid  hound, 
whose  heavy  jaws  had  ere  now  dragged  to  the  ground 
many  a  red  stag,  and  many  a  wild  Bavarian  boar.  A 
dog  to  be  valued  was  Fritz,  and  highly  did  his  master 
esteem  him.  Caspar  was  that  master.  Caspar  would 
not  have  exchanged  Fritz  for  the  choicest  elephant  in 
all  India. 


IS    IT    BLOOD?  15 


CHAPTER  IV.^ 

IS    IT   BLOOD? 

BEHOLD  the  plant-hunter  and  his  little  party  en 
route  ! 

It  was  the  same  day  on  which  they  had  engaged  the 
guide  Ossaroo,  and  this  was  their  first  journey  together. 
Each  carried  his  knapsack  and  blanket  strapped  to  his 
back — and  as  each  was  to  be  his  own  travelling  attend- 
ant, there  was  not  much  extra  baggage.  Ossaroo  was" 
some  paces  in  the  advance,  and  Karl  and  Caspar  habit- 
ually walked  side  by  side,  where  the  nature  of  the  path 
would  permit.  Fritz  usually  trotted  along  in  the  rear, 
though  he  sometimes  busked  up  to  the  side  of  the  guide, 
as  if  by  instinct  he  recognized  the  born  hunter.  Al- 
though the  acquaintance  was  but  a  short  one,  already 
had  Fritz  become  a  favorite  with  the  "  shikarree." 

As  they  trudged  along,  the  attention  of  Caspar  was 
drawn  to  some  red  spots  that  appeared  at  intervals  upon 
the  path.  It  was  a  smooth  road,  and  a  very  small 
.object  could  be  discerned  upon  it.  The  spots  had 
all  the  appearance  of  blood-spots,  as  if  quite  freshly 
dropped ! 

"  Blood  it  is,"  remarked  Karl,  who  was  also  observ- 
ing the  spots. 

"  I  wonder  whether  it's  been  a  man  or  a  beast,"  said 
Caspar,  after  an  interval. 


16  IS    IT    BLOOD? 

"  "Well,  brother,"  rejoined  Karl,  "  I  think  it  must  have 
been  a  beast,  and  a  pretty  large  one  too ;  I  have  been 
noticing  it  for  more  than  a  mile,  and  the  quantity  of 
blood  I've  observed  would  have  emptied  the  veins  of  a 
giant.  I  fancy  it  must  have  been  an  elephant  that  has 
been  bleeding." 

"  But  there's  no  trace  of  an  elephant,"  replied  Cas- 
par ;  "  at  least  no  tracks  that  are  fresh  ;  and  this  blood 
appears  to  be  quite  newly  spilled." 

"  You  are  right,  Caspar,"  rejoined  his  brother. 

"  It  cannot  have  been  an  elephant,  nor  a  camel  neither. 
What  may  it  have  been,  I  wonder  ?  " 

At  this  interrogatory  both  the  boys  directed  their 
glances  along  the  road,  in  the  direction  in  which  they 
were  going,  hoping  to  discover  some  explanation  of  the 
matter.  There  was  no  object  before  them  as  far  as 
they  could  see  except  Ossaroo.  The  Hindoo  alone 
was  upon  the  road.  The  blood  could  not  be  from  him 
—surely  not  ?  Such  a  loss  of  blood  would  have  killed 
the  shikarree  long  ago.  So  thought  Karl  and  Caspar. 

They  had  fixed  their  eyes,  however,  upon  Ossaroo, 
and  just  at  that  moment  they  saw  him  lean  his  head  to 
one  side,  as  though  he  had  spat  upon  the  ground.  They 
marked  the  spot,  and  what  was  their  astonishment  on 
coming  up  and  discovering  upon  the  road  another  red 
spot  exactly  like  those  they  had  been  noticing.  Beyond 
a  doubt  Ossaroo  was  spitting  blood ! 

To  make  sure,  they  watched  him  a  little  longer,  and 
about  a  hundred  yards  farther  on  they  saw  him  repeat 
his  red  expectoration ! 

They  became  considerably  alarmed  for  the  life  of 
their  guide. 


IS    IT    BLOOD?  17 

"  Poor  Ossaroo  ! "  exclaimed  they,  "  he  cannot  live 
much  longer  after  the  loss  of  so  much  blood  ! " 

And  as  this  remark  was  made,  both  ran  forward  call- 
upon  him  to  stop. 

The  guide  wheeled  round,  and  halted,  wondering 
what  was  the  matter.  He  quickly  unslung  his  bow 
and  placed  an  arrow  to  the  string,  fancying  that  they 
were  attacked  by  some  enemy.  The  hound,  too,  catch- 
ing the  alarm,  came  scampering  up,  and  was  soon  upon 
the  ground.  • 

"  What's  the  matter,  Ossaroo?"  demanded  Karl  and 
Caspar  in  a  breath. 

"  Matter,  Sahibs  !  me  knowee  noting — matter." 

"  But  what  ails  you  ?  are  you  ill  ? " 

"  No,  Sahibs  !  me  not  ill — why  my  lords  askee  ?  " 

"But  this  blood?     See?" 

They  pointed  to  the  red  saliva  on  the  road. 

At  this  the  shikarree  burst  out  laughing,  still  furthe? 
perplexing  his  interrogators.  His  laughter  was  not  in- 
tended to  be  disrespectful  to  the  young  "  Sahibs,"  only 
that  he  was  unable  to  restrain  himself  on  perceiving  the 
mistake  they  had  made. 

"  Pawnee,  Sahibs,"  said  he,  drawing  from  his  pouch 
a  small  roll  like  a  cartridge  of  tobacco-leaves,  and  tak- 
ing a  bite  off  the  end  of  it,  to  convince  them  that  it  was 
it — the  "pawn" — which  had  imparted  to  his  saliva 
such  a  peculiar  color. 

The  boys  at  once  comprehended  the  nature  of  their 
mistake.  The  roll  shown  them  by  Ossaroo  was  the 
celebrated  betel;  and  Ossaroo  himself  was  a  "  betel- 
chewer,"  in  common  with  many  millions  of  his  country- 
men, and  still  more  millions  of  the  natives  of  Assam, 


18  IS    IT   BLOOD? 

Burmah,  Siam,  China,  Cochin  China,  Malacca,  the 
Philippine,  and  other  islands  of  the  great  Indian  Archi- 
pelago. 

Of  course  the  boys  were  now  curious  to  know  what 
the  betel  was,  and  the  shikarree  proceeded  to  give  them 
full  information  about  this  curious  commodity. 

The  "  betel/'  or  "  pawn "  as  it  is  called  by  the  Hin- 
doos, is  a  compound  substance,  and  its  component  parts 
are  a  leaf,  a  nut,  and  some  quicklime.  The  leaf  is 
taken  from  an  evergreen  shrub,  whicfe  is  cultivated  in 
India  for  this  very  purpose.  Ossaroo  stated  that  it  is 
usually  cultivated  under  a  shed  made  of  bamboos,  and 
wattled  all  around  the  sides  to  exclude  the  strong  rays 
of  the  sun.  The  plant  requires  heat  and  a  damp  at- 
mosphere, but  exposure  to  the  sun  or  dry  winds  would 
wither  it,  and  destroy  the  flavor  and  pungency  of  the 
leaf.  It  requires  great  care  in  the  cultivation,  and  every 
day  a  man  enters  the  shed  by  a  little  door-  and  carefully 
cleans  the  plants.  The  shed  where  it  grows  is  usually 
a  favorite  lurking-place  for  poisonous  snakes,  and  this 
diurnal  visit  of  the  betel-grower  to  his  crop  is  rather  a 
dangerous  business ;  but  the  article  is  so  profitable,  and 
the  mature  crop  yields  such  a  fine  price,  that  both  the 
labor  and  the  danger  are  disregarded.  Ossaroo  chanced 
to  have  some  of  the  leaves  in  his  pouch  still  in  an  entire 
state.  He  only  knew  them  as  '*  pawn-leaves/'  but  the 
botanist  at  once  recognized  a  rare  hothouse  plant,  be- 
longing to  the  pepper  tribe,  Piperacece.  It  is  in  fact  a 
species  of  Piper,  the  Piper-betel,  very  closely  allied  to 
the  climbing  shrub  which  produces  the  common  black 
pepper  of  commerce,  and  having  deep  green  oval  and 
sharply-pointed  leaves  of  very  similar  appearance  to 


IS    IT    BLOOD  ?  19 

the  leaves  of  the  latter.  Another  species  called  Piper 
siriboa  is  also  cultivated  for  the  same  purpose.  So  much 
for  one  of  the  component  parts  of  this  singular  Oriental 
"quid." 

"Now,"  continued  Ossaroo,  facing  to  one  side  of  the 
path  and  pointing  upwards,  "  if  Sahibs  lookee  up,  dey 
Bee  de  pawn-nut." 

The  boys  looked  as  directed,  and  beheld  with  interest 
a  grove  of  noble  palms,  each  of  them  rising  to  the  height 
of  fifty  feet,  wilh  a  smooth  cylindrical  shank,  and  a 
beautiful  tuft  of  pinnated  leaves  at  the  top.  These  leaves 
were  full  two  yards  in  breadth,  by  several  in  length. 
Even  the  pinnae,  or  leaflets,  were  each  over  a  yard  long. 
Just  below  wheje  the  leaves  grew  out  from  the  stem,  a 
large  bunch  of  nuts  of  a  reddish  orange  color,  and  each 
as  big  as  a  hen's  egg,  hung  downward.  These  were  the 
famous  Jjetel-nuts,  so  long  recorded  in  the  books  of 
Oriental  travellers.  Karl  recognized  the  tree  as  the 
Areca  catechu,  or  betel-nut  palm — by  many  considered 
the  most  beautiful  palm  of  India. 

Of  the  same  genus  Areca  there  are  two  other  known 
species,  one  also  a  native  of  India,  the  other  an  Ameri- 
can palm,  and  even  a  still  more  celebrated  tree  than  the 
betel-nut,  for  it  is  no  other  than  the  great  "  cabbage- 
palm  "  of  the  West  Indies  (Areca  oleracea).  This  last 
tree  grows  to  the  height  of  two  hundred  feet,  with  a 
trunk  only  seven  inches  in  diameter !  This  beautiful 
shaft  is  often  cut  down  for  the  sake  of  the  young  heart- 
leaves  near  the  top,  that  when  dressed  are  eaten  as  a 
eubstitute  for  cabbage. 

Ossaroo  showed  his  young  masters  how  the  betel  was 
prepared  for  chewing.  The  leaves  of  the  betel  pepper 
2 


20  IS    IT   BLOOD? 

are  first  Spread  out.  Upon  these  a  layer  of  lime  ia 
placed,  moistened  so  as  to  keep  it  in  its  place.  The 
betel-nut  is  then  cut  into  very  thin  slices,  and  laid  on 
top ;  and  the  whole  is  rolled  up  like  a  cheroot,  and  de- 
posited with  other  similar^  rolls  in,,  a  neat  case  of  bam- 
boo—to be  taken  out  whenever  required  for  chewing. 

The  nujt  is  not  eatable  alone.  Its  flavor  is  too  pun- 
gent, and  too  highly  astringent  on  account  of  the  tannin 
it  contains  ;  but  along  with  the  pepper-leaf  and  the 
lime,  it  becomes  milder  and  more  pleasant.  Withal,  it 
is  too  acrid  for  a  European  palate,  and  produces  intoxi- 
cation in  those  not  used  to  it.  An  old  betel-eater  like 
Ossaroo  does  not  feel  these  effects,  and  would  smile  at 
the  idea  of  getting  u  tipsy  "  upon  pawn.  t 

A  singular  peculiarity  of  the  betel-nut  is  that  of  its 
.staining  the  saliva  of  a  deep  red  color,  so  as  to  resem- 
ble blood.  Ossaroo,  who  possessed  a  large  share  of  in- 
telligence, and  who  had  travelled  to .  the  great  city  of 
Calcutta  and  other  parts  of  India,  narrated  a  good  anec- 
dote connected  with  this  fact.  The  substance  of  his 
relation  was  as  follows  : — 

A  young  doctor,  fresh  from  Europe  and  from  the 
university,  had  arrived  in  one  of  the  Indian  cities  in  a 
big  ship.  The  morning  after  his  arrival  he  was  walking 
out  on  the  public  road  near  the  suburbs,  when  he  chanced 
to  meet  a  young  native  girl  who  appeared  to  be  spitting 
blood.  The  doctor  turned  and  followed  the  girl,  who 
continued  to  spit  blood  at  nearly  every  step  she  took ! 
He  became  alarmed,  thinking  the  poor  girl  could  not 
live  another  hour,  and  following  her  home  to  her  bouse, 
announced  to  her  parents  who  he  was,  and  assured  them 
that,  from  the  symptoms  he  had  observed,  their  daughter 


IS    IT    BLOOD  ?  21 

had  not  many  minutes  to  live  !  Her  parents  in  their 
turn  grew  alarmed,  as  also  did  the  girl  herself — for  the 
skill  of  a  great  Sahib  doctor  was  not  to  be  doubted. 
The  priest  was  sent  for,  but  before  he  could  arrive  the 
young  girl  actually  died. 

Now  it  was  from  fear  that  the  poor  girl  had  died,  and 
it  was  the  doctor  who  had  frightened  her  to  death  !  but 
neither  parents,  nor  priest,  nor  the  doctor  himself,  knew 
this  at  the  time.  The  doctor  still  believed  the  girl  had 
died  of  blood-spitting,  and  the  others  remained  in  igno- 
rance that  it  was  upon  this  he  had  founded  his  prognosis. 

The  report  of  such  a  skilful  physician  soon  spread 
abroad.  Patients  flocked  to  him,  and  he  was  in  a  fair 
way  of  rapidly  accumulating  a  fortune.  But  ere  long 
he  had  observed  other  people  with  symptoms  of  the 
same  complaint  which  had  caused  the  death  of  the  poor 
girl,  and  had  learnt  also  that  these  symptoms  proceeded 
from  chewing  the  betel-nut.  Had  he  been  discreet  he 
would  have  kept  his  secret  to  himself;  but,  unluckily 
for  his  good  fortune  he  was  a  talker,  and  could  not  help 
telling  his  companions  the  whole  affair.  He  related  it 
rather  as  a  good  joke — for,  sad  to  say,  the  life  of  a  poor 
native  is  held  but  too  lightly  by  Europeans. 

In  the  end,  however,  it  proved  no  joke  to  the  doctor. 
The  parents  of  the  girl  came  to  understand  the  matter, 
as  well  as  the  public  at  large,  and  vengeance  was  vowed 
against  him  by  the  friends  of  the  deceased.  His  pa- 
tients deserted  him  as  rapidly  as  they  had  come  ;  and 
to  get  rid  of  the  scandal,  as  well  as  to  get  out  of  the 
danger  that  surrounded  him,  he  was  but  too  glad  to 
take  passage  home  in  the  same  ship  that  had  brought 
him  out. 


22  THE    FISHING-BIRDS. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE   FISHING-BIRDS. 

OUR  travellers  were  following  up  one  of  the  tribu* 
taries  of  the  Burrampooter,  which,  rising  in  the  Hima- 
layas, and  running  southward  joins  the  latter  near  its 
great  bend.  The  plant-hunter  designed  to  penetrate  the 
Bhotan  Himalaya,  because  it  had  not  yet  been  visited 
by  any  botanist,  and  its  flora  was  reported  to  be  very 
rich  and  varied.  They  were  still  passing  through  a 
settled  part  of  the  country,  where  fields  of  rice  and 
sugar-cane,  with  groves  of  bananas,  and  various  spe- 
cies of  palm,  were  cultivated ;  some  of  the  latter,  as 
the  cocoa-palm  and  betel,  for  their  nuts,  while  others, 
as  the  large-leaved  Caryota,  for  the  wine  which  the7 
produce. 

The  opium-poppy  was  also  seen  in  cultivation,  and 
mango-trees,  and  the  great  broad-leaved  pawpaw,  and 
black-pepper  vines,  with  beautiful  green  leaves,  trained 
against  the  stems  of  the  palms.  Jack-trees  with  their 
gigantic  fruit,  and  figs,  and  nettle-trees,  and  the  singu- 
lar screw-pines,  and  euphorbias,  and  various  species  of 
the  orange,  were  observed  along  the  way. 

The  botanist  saw  many  trees  and  plants,  \\  hich  he 
recognized  as  belonging  to  the  Chinese  flora,  and  he 


THE    FISHING-BIRDS.  23 

could  not  help  remarking  many  other  things  th^t,  re- 
minded him  of  what  he  had  read  about  China.  In 
fact,  this  part  of  India — for  he  was  very  near  the  bor« 
ders  of  Assam — bears  a  considerable  resemblance  tc 
China,  in  its  natural  productions,  and  even  the  customs 
of  the  people  assimilate  somewhat  to  those  of  the  Ce- 
lestial land.  To  make  the  resemblance  more  com- 
plete, the  cultivation  of  the  tea-plant  has  been  introduced 
into  this  part  of  the  world,  and  is  now  carried  on 
with  success. 

But  as  our  travellers  proceeded,  they  became  wit- 
nesses of  a  scene  which  brought  China  more  vividly 
before  their  minds  than  anything  they  had  yet  ob- 
served. 

On  rounding  a  clump  of  trees  they  came  in  view  of 
a  moderate-sized  lake.  On  the  water,  near  the  edge 
of  this  lake,  they  perceived  a  man  in  a  small  light  boat. 
He  was  standing  up,  and  held  in  his  hands  a  long  slen- 
der pole,  with  which  he  was  poling  the  boat  out  towards 
the  centre  of  the  lake. 

Our  travellers,  Ossaroo  excepted,  uttered  exclama- 
tions of  surprise,  and  came  at  once  to  a  halt. 

What  had  caused  them  such  astonishment  ?  Not  the 
boat,  nor  the  man  in  it,  nor  yet  the  long  bamboo  pole. 
No.  Such  were  common  objects  seen  every  day  on 
their  journey.  It  was  none  of  these  that  had  brought 
them  to  so  sudden  a  stop,  and  caused  them  to  stand 
wondering.  It  was  the  fact  that  along  both  sides  of 
the  boat — on  the  very  edge  or  gunwale — was  a  row 
of  large  birds  as  big  as  geese.  They  were  white- 
throated,  white-breasted  birds,  mottled  over  the  winga 
wid  back  with  dark  brown,  and  having  long  crooked 


24  THE   FISHING-BIRDS. 

necks,  large  yellow  bills,  and  broad  tails  rounded  at 
the  tips. 

Although  the  man  was  standing  up  in  his  boat,  and 
working  his  long  pole  over  their  heads,  now  on  one  side, 
then  on  the  other,  the  birds  appeared  so  tame  that  they 
did  not  heed  his  manoeuvres  ;  and  yet  not  one  of  them 
seemed  to  be  fastened,  but  merely  perched  upon  the 
edge  of  the  skiff !  Now  and  then  one  would  stretch 
its  long  neck  over  the  water,  turn  its  head  a  little  to 
one  side,  and  then  draw  it  in  again,  and  resume  its 
former  attitude.  Such  tame  birds  had  never  been  seen. 
No  wonder  the  sight  astonished  the  Bavarian  boys. 
Both  turned  to  Ossaroo  for  an  explanation,  who  gave 
it  by  simply  nodding  towards  the  lake,  and  uttering  the 
words, — 

"  He  go  fishee." 

"  Ah  !  a  fisherman ! "  rejoined  the  botanist. 

"  Yes,  Sahib — you  watchee,  you  see." 

This  was  explanation  enough.  The  boys  now  re- 
membered having  read  of  the  Chinese  mode  of  fishing 
with  cormorants ;  and  even  at  the  distance  at  which 
they  saw  them,  they  could  perceive  that  the  birds  on 
the  boat  were  no  other  than  cormorants.  They  were 
the  species  known  as  Phalacrocorax  Sinensis ;  and 
although  differing  somewhat  from  the  common  cor- 
morant, they  possessed  all  the  characteristic  marks  of 
the  tribe, — the  long  flat  body,  the  projecting  breast- 
bone, the  beak  curving  downward  at  the  tip,  and  the 
broad  rounded  tail. 

Desirous  of  witnessing  the  birds  at  work,  our  trav- 
ellers remained  stationary  near  the  shore  of  the  lake. 
It  was  evident  the  fisherman  had  not  yet  commenced 


THE    FISHING-BIRDS.  25 

operations,  and  was  only  proceeding  towards  his 
ground. 

After  a  short  while  he  reached  the  centre  of  the  lake ; 
and  then,  laying  aside  his  long  bamboo,  he  turned  his 
attention  to  the  birds.  He  was  heard  giving  them  di- 
rections— just  as  a  sportsman  might  do  to  his  pointer  or 
spaniel — and  the  next  moment  the  great  birds  spread 
their  shadowy  wings,  rose  up  from  the  edge  of  the  boat, 
and  after  a  short  flight,  one  and  all  of  them  were  seen 
plunging  into  the  water. 

Now  our  travellers  beheld  a  singular  scene.  Here  a 
bird  was  observed  swimming  along,  with  its  keen  eye 
scanning  the  crystal  below — there  the  broad  tail  of 
another  stood  vertically  upwards,  the  rest  of  its  body 
hidden  below  the  surface — yonder,  a  third  was  alto- 
gether submerged,  the  ripple  alone  showing  where  it 
had  gone  down — a  fourth  was  seen  struggling  with  a 
large  fish  that  glittered  in  its  pincer-like  beak — a  fifth 
had  already  risen  with  its  scaly  prey,  and  was  bearing 
it  to  the  boat ;  and  thus  the  twelve  birds  were  all  ac- 
tively engaged  in  the  singular  occupation  to  which  they 
had  been  trained.  The  lake,  that  but  the  moment 
before  lay  tranquil  and  smooth  as  glass,  was  now  cov- 
ered with  ripples,  with  circling  eddies,  with  bubbles 
and  foam,  where  the  huge  birds  darted  and  plunged, 
and  flapped  about  after  their  finny  prey.  It  was  in 
vain  the  fish  endeavored  to  escape  them — for  the  cor- 
morant can  glide  rapidly  through  the  water,  and  swim 
beneath  with  as  much  rapidity  as  upon  the  surface. 
Its  keel-like  breast-bone  cuts  the  liquid  element  like  an 
arrow,  and  with  its  strong  wings  for  paddles,  and  its 
Vroad  tail  acting  as  a  rudder,  the  bird  is  able  to  turn 


26  THE    FISHING-BIRDS. 

sharply  round,  or  shoot  forward  with  incredible  ra« 
pidity. 

A  singular  circumstance  came  under  the  observation 
of  our  travellers.  When  one  of  the  birds  had  suc- 
ceeded in  bringing  up  a  fish,  which  was  larger  than 
common,  and  too  large  for  its  captor  to  convey  to  the 
boat,  several  others  might  be  seen  rushing  forward,  to 
render  assistance  in  carrying  the  fish  aboard  ! 

You  will  wonder  that  these  creatures — whose  food  is 
the  very  prey  they  were  capturing  for  their  master- 
did  not  swallow  some  of  the  fish  they  were  taking.  In 
the  case  of  the  younger  birds,  and  those  not  fully  trained, 
such  little  thefts  do  occasionally  occur.  But  in  such 
cases  the  fisherman  adopts  a  preventive  precaution,  by 
fastening  a  collar  round  the  necks  of  the  birds — taking 
care  that  it  shall  not  descend  to  the  thick  part  of  the 
throat,  where  it  might  choke  them.  With  well-trained 
old  birds  this  precaution  is  unnecessary.  No  matter 
how  hungry  the  latter  may  be,  they  bring  all  they 
"take"  to  their  master,  and  are  rewarded  for  their 
honesty  by  the  smaller  and  more  worthless  fish  that 
may  have  been  caught. 

Sometimes  a  bird  becomes  lazy,  and  sits  upon  the 
water  without  attempting  to  do  his  duty.  In  such 
cases,  the  fisherman  approaches  with  his  boat,  stretches 
forward  his  bamboo,  strikes  with  violence  close  to 
where  the  indolent  individual  is  seated,  and  scolds  him 
for  his  laziness.  This  treatment  seldom  fails  in  its 
effect ;  and  the  winged  fisher,  once  more  roused  by  the 
well-known  voice  of  its  master,  goes  to  work  with 
renewed  energy. 

For  several  hours  this  fishing  scene  is  kept  up,  until 


THE    FISHING-BIRDS.  27 

the  birds,  becoming  tired,  are  allowed  to  return  and 
perch  themselves  on  the  boat ;  where  their  throat- 
straps  are  removed,  and  they  are  fed  and  caressed  by 
their  master. 

Our  travellers  did  not  wait  for  this  finale,  but  kept 
on  their  route  ;  while  Karl  related  to  Caspar  how  that, 
not  a  great  while  ago,  so  late  as  the  time  of  King 
Charles  I.,  the  common  cormorant  of  Europe  was 
trained  to  fish  in  the  same  way  in  several  European 
countries,  and  especially  in  Holland ;  and  that,  at  the 
present  day,  in  some  parts  of  China,  this  mode  of  fish- 
ing is  followed  to  so  great  an  extent,  that  the  markets 
of  some  of  the  largest  cities  are  supplied  with  fish 
caught  altogether  by  cormorants. 

.  Certainly,  no  people  exhibit  more  ingenuity  in  the 
training  either  of  plants  or  animals,  than  do  these  same 
oblique-eyed  inhabitants  of  the  Celestial  Empire. 


26  THE   TERAI. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE   TERAI. 

IN  approaching  any  great  chain  of  mountains  from 
the  sea-level,  you  will  find  a  large  tract  of  country  con- 
sisting of  elevated  hills  and  deep  ravines,  intersected 
by  rapid  streams  and  torrents.  This  tract  is  more  or 
less  broad,  in  proportion  to  the  grandeur  of  the  moun- 
tain chain ;  and,  in  the  case  of  mountains  of  the  first 
class,  it  is  usually  from  twenty  to  fifty  miles  in  breadth. 
Such  a  tract  of  country  lies  along  both  sides  of  the 
great  chain  of  the  Andes  in  South  and  North  America, 
and  also  marks  the  approach  to  the  Rocky  Mountains 
and  the  Alleghanies.  It  is  well  known  in  Italy,  under 
the  Alps  ;  and  "  Piedmont "  is  the  French  appellation 
for  this  sort  of  country,  which  is  designated,  in  our  Ian 
guage,  by  an  equally  appropriate  phrase,  "  foot-hills." 

The  "  Alps  of  India  "  are  not  without  this  geological 
peculiarity.  Along  their  whole  southern  flank,  facing 
the  hills  of  Hindustan,  extends  a  belt  of  foot-hills,  often 
above  fifty  miles  in  breadth ;  and  characterized  by  steep 
ascents,  deep  dales  and  ravines,  rapid  foaming  torrents, 
difficult  paths  and  passes,  and,  consequently,  by  wild 
and  picturesque  scenery. 

The  lower  part  of  this  belt — that  is,  the  portion  which 


THE    TERAI.  29 

lies  contiguous  to  the  hot  plains,  is  known  to  Europeans 
as  the  "Terai." 

The  Terai  is  an  irregular  strip,  of  from  ten  to  thirty 
miles  in  width,  and  extends  along  the  whole  base  of 
the  Himalayas,  from  the  Sutledge  River,  on  the  west, 
to  Upper  Assam.  Its  character  is  peculiar.  It  differs 
both  from  the  plains  of  India  and  from  the  Himalaya 
Mountains,  possessing  a  botany  and  zoology  almost 
totally  distinct  from  either.  It  differs  from  both,  in  the 
malarious  and  unhealthy  character  of  its  climate,  which 
is  one  of  the  deadliest  in  the  world.  In  consequence 
of  this,  the  Terai  is  almost  uninhabited ;  the  few  scat- 
tered settlements  of  half-savage  Mechs,  its  only  inhabi- 
tants, lying  remote  and  distant  from  each  other. 

Most  of  the  Terai  is  covered  with  forest  and  thick 
jungle ;  and,  notwithstanding  its  unhealthy  climate,  it 
is  the  favorite  haunt  of  the  wild  beasts  peculiar  to  this 
part  of  the  globe.  The  tiger,  the  Indian  lion,  the  pan- 
ther and  leopard,  the  cheetah,  and  various  other  large 
felid<E)  roam  through  its  jungly  coverts ;  the  wild  ele- 
phant, the  rhinoceros,  and  gyal,  are  found  in  its  forests ; 
and  the  sambur  and  axis  browse  on  its  grassy  glades. 
Venomous  snakes,  hideous  lizards,  and  bats,  with  the 
most  beautiful  of  birds  and  butterflies,  all  find  a  home 
in  the  Terai. 

Several  days'  marching  carried  our  travellers  beyond 
the  more  settled  portions  of  the  country,  and  within  the 
borders  of  this  wild,  jungle-covered  district.  On  the 
day  they  entered  the  Terai,  they  had  made  an  early 
Btart  of  it;  and,  therefore,  arrived  at  their  camping- 
ground  some  hours  before  sunset.  But  the  young  bota- 
nist, filled  with  admiration  at  the  many  singular  and 


30  THE    TEKAI. 

novel  forms  of  vegetation  lie  saw  around  him,  resolved 
to  remain  upon  the  ground  for  several  days. 

Our  travellers  had  no  tent.  Such  an  incumbrance 
would  have  been  troublesome  to  them,  travelling,  as 
they  were,  afoot.  Indeed,  all  three  had  their  full  loads 
to  carry,  as  much  as  they  could  well  manage,  without 
the  additional  weight  of  a  tent.  Each  had  his  blanket, 
and  various  other  impedimenta;  but  one  and  all  of 
them  had  often  slept  without  roof  or  canvas,  and  they 
could  do  so  again. 

At  their  present  halting-place,  they  had  no  need  for 
either.  Nature  had  provided  them  with  a  cover  quite 
equal  to  a  canvas-tent.  They  had  encamped  under  a 
canopy  of  thick  foliage,  the  foliage  of  the  banyan  tree. 

Young  reader,  you  have  heard  of  the  great  banyan 
of  India ;  that  wonderful  tree,  whose  branches,  after 
spreading  out  from  the  main  trunk,  send  down  roots  to 
the  earth,  and  form  fresh  stems,  until  a  space  of  ground 
is  covered  with  a  single  tree,  under  whose  shade  a 
whole  regiment  of  cavalry  may  bivouac,  or  a  great 
public  meeting  be  held  !  No  doubt,  you  have  read  of 
such  a  tree,  and  have  seen  pictures  of  one  ?  I  need  not, 
therefore,  describe  the  banyan  very  particularly.  Let 
me  say,  however,  that  it  is  a  fig-tree  ;  not  the  one  that 
produces  the  eatable  fig,  of  which  you  are  so  very  fond, 
but  another  species  of  the  same  genus — the  genus  Ficus, 
Now,  of  this  genus  there  are  a  great  many  species  ;  as 
many,  perhaps,  as  there  are  of  any  other  genus  of 
trees.  Some  of  them  are  only  creeping  and  climbing 
plants  ;  adhering  to  rocks  and  the  trunks  of  other  trees, 
like  vines  or  ivy.  Others,  like  the  banyan,  are  among 
the  largest  trees  of  the  forest.  They  are  chiefly  con- 


THE    TERAi.  31 

fined  to  tropical  countries,  or  hot  regions  lying  on  the 
borders  of  the  tropics ;  and  they  are  found  in  both 
hemispheres,  that  is,  both  in  America  and  the  Old 
World.  Some  splendid  species  belong  also  to  Austra- 
lia. All  of  them  possess,  more  or  less,  the  singular 
habit  of  throwing  out  roots  from  their  branches,  and 
forming  new  stems,  like  the  banyan ;  and  frequently 
they  embrace  other  trees  in  such  a  manner,  as  to  hide 
the  trunks  of  the  latter  completely  from  view ! 

This  curious  spectacle  was  witnessed  by  our  travel- 
lers where  they  had  encamped.  The  banyan  which 
they  had  chosen  as  their  shelter  was  not  one  of  the 
largest — being  only  a  young  tree,  but  out  of  its  top  rose 
the  huge  fan-shaped  leaves  of  a  palm-tree  of  the  kind 
known  as  the  palmyra  palm  (Borassus  flagettiformis). 
No  trunk  of  the  palm-tree  was  visible ;  and  had  not 
Karl  Linden  been  a  botanist,  and  known  something  of 
the  singular  habit  of  the  banyan,  he  would  have  been 
puzzled  to  account  for  this  odd  combination.  Above 
spread  the  long  radiating  fronds  of  the  palmyra  directly 
out  of  the  top  of  the  trunk  of  the  fig,  and  looking  so 
distinct  from  the  foliage  of  the  latter  as  to  form  a  very 
curious  sight.  The  leaves  of  the  banyan  being  ovate, 
and  somewhat  cordate  or  heart-shaped,  of  course  pre- 
sented quite  a  contrast  to  the  large  stiff  fronds  of  the 
palmyra. 

Now  the  puzzle  was,  how  the  palm  got  there.  Natur- 
ally one  would  suppose  that  a  seed  of  the  palm  had 
been  deposited  on  the  top  of  the  banyan,  and  had  there 
germinated  and  thrown  out  its  fronds. 

But  how  did  the  palm  seed  get  to  the  top  of  the  fig  ? 
Was  it  planted  by  the  hand  of  man  ?  or  carried  thither 


32  THE    TEEAI. 

by  a  bird  ?  It  could  not  well  have  been  by  the  latter 
mode — since  the  fruit  of  the  palmyra  is  as  large  as  a 
child's  head,  and  each  one  of  the  three  seeds  it  contains 
as  big  as  a  goose's  egg !  No  bird  would  be  likely  to 
carry  about  such  a  bulky  thing  as  that.  If  there  were 
only  one  palm-tree  growing  from  the  top  of  one  banyan, 
it  might  be  conjectured  that  some  one  had  so  planted  it ; 
but  there  are  many  such  combinations  of  these  trees 
met  with  in  the  forests  of  India,  and  also  in  districts  en- 
tirely uninhabited.  How  then  was  this  union  of  the  two 
trees  to  be  accounted  for  ? 

Of  our  three  travellers  Caspar  alone  was  puzzled. 
Not  so  Karl  and  Ossaroo.  Both  were  able  to  explain 
the  matter,  and  Karl  proceeded  to  offer  the  elucidation. 

"  The  fact  is,"  said  the  botanist,  "  that  the  palm  has 
not  grown  out  of  the  fig,  but  vice  versa.  The  banyan 
is  the  true  parasite.  A  bird — wood-pigeon,  or  mino- 
bird,  or  tree-pheasant  perhaps — has  carried  the  berries 
of  the  fig-tree,  and  deposited  them  in  the  axil  of  the 
palmyra.  This  the  smallest  birds  may  easily  do,  since 
the  fruit  of  the  banyan  is  not  larger  than  a  diminutive 
cherry.  Once  in  its  place  the  seed  has  germinated, 
and  sent  its  roots  downward  along  the  trunk  of  the 
palm  until  they  have  reached  the  ground.  These  roots 
have  then  flattened  around  the  stem  of  the  palm,  until 
they  have  enveloped  it  completely,  with  the  exception 
of  the  top,  as  you  see.  Afterwards  the  fig  has  thrown 
out  lateral  branches,  until  the  whole  has  assumed  the 
appearance  of  a  banyan-tree  with  a  fan-palm  growing 
out  of  its  trunk  ! " 

This  was  the  true  explanation.  Ossaroo  added  some 
remarks  stating  that  the  Hindoo  people  always  regard 


THE    TERAI.  3d 

such  a  union  of  the  two  trees  with  great  veneration, 
and  believe  it  to  be  a  holy  marriage  instituted  by  Prov- 
idence. For  himself,  Ossaroo — not  being  a  very  strict 
sectarian,  nor  much  given  to  religjon  in  any  form- 
laughed  at  the  superstition,  and  called  it  "  humbug." 


34  TAPPING   THE   PALMYKA. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

TAPPING   THE   PALMYRA. 

ALMOST  the  first  thing  done  by  Ossaroo  after  he  had 
got  relieved  of  his  baggage  was  to  climb  the  banyan. 
This  he  was  able  to  do  with  ease,  as  the  trunk,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  peculiar  mode  of  its  growth,  was  full 
of  ridges  and  inequalities,  and  moreover  Ossaroo  could 
climb  like  a  cat. 

But  what  wanted  he  up  the  tree  ?  Was  he  after  the 
fruit  ?  It  could  not  be  that,  for  the  figs  were  not  yet 
ripe,  and  even  had  they  been  quite  mellow,  they  are  but 
poor  eating.  Maybe  he  was  going  up  for  the  nuts  of 
the  palmyra?  No— it  could  not  be  that  either,  for 
these  were  not  shaped.  The  great  flower-spathe  had 
not  yet  opened,  and  was  only  beginning  to  burst  its 
green  envelopes.  Had  the  nuts  been  formed,  and  still 
in  their  young  state,  they  would  have  afforded  delicate 
eating.  As  already  stated,  the  palmyra  nuts  grow  to 
the  size  of  a  child's  head.  They  are  three-cornered, 
rounded  off  at  the  corners,  consisting  of  a  thick  succu- 
lent yellowish  rind,  each  containing  three  seeds  as  large 
as  goose-eggs.  It  is  the  seeds  that  are  eaten  when 
young  and  pulpy  ;  but  if  allowed  to  ripen,  they  become 
quite  hard  and  blue-colored,  and  are  then  insipid  and 


TAPPING    THE    PALMYRA.  35 

uneatable.  •  But  it  could  not  be  the  seed  either  which 
Ossaroo  was  after,  since  there  were  no  seeds,  nor  nuts 
—only  the  flower,  and  that  still  hidden  in  its  great 
spadix.  t 

The  boys  watched  OssaroQ  narrowly.  He  had  car- 
ried up  with  him  a  bamboo-joint  which  he  had  cut  from 
a  very  thick  cane.  It  was  open  at  one  end,  and  formed 
a  vessel  that  would  hold  rather,  more  than  a  quart. 
Another  thing  they  had  observed  him  to  take  with 
him ;  and  that  was  a  stone  about  as  big  as  a  paving- 
stone.  Still  another  implement  he  carried  up  the  tree 
— his  long  knife. 

In  a  few  seconds  the  shikarree  had  reached  the  top 
of  the  banyan ;  and  clutching  the  great  leaf-stalks  of 
the  palm,  he  climbed  up  among  its  huge  fronds.  Here 
he  was  observed  to  lay  hold  of  the  spathe  of  the  flower, 
and  bending  it  against  the  trunk,  he  commenced  ham- 
mering away  with  the  stone,  evidently  with  the  inten- 
tion of  crushing  the  young  inflorescence.  With  a  few 
blows  he  succeeded  in  doing  this  effectually.  He  then 
drew  the  knife  from  his  scarf,  and,  with  an  adroit  cut, 
detached  the  upper  half  of  the  flower-spike,  which  fell 
neglected  to  the  ground. 

The  bamboo  vessel  was  next  brought  into  service. 
This  he  fixed  on  the  spathe  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
incised  end  remained  inside  the  hollow  of  the  cane. 
Both  flower-spike  and  cane  were  then  tied  to  one  of 
the  leaf-stalks  of  the  palm,  so  that  the  bamboo  hung 
vertically  bottom  downward  ;  and  this  arrangement  hav- 
ing been  completed,  the  shikarree  flung  down  his  ham- 
mering stone,  replaced  his  knife  under  his  belt,  and  de- 
icended  from  the  tree. 


36  TAPPING   THE   PALMYRA. 

"  Now,  Sahibs,"  said  he,  as  soon  as  he  had  reached 
terra  firma,  "you  waitee  hour — you  drinkee  Indoo 
champagne." 

In  an  hour  or  «so  his  promise  was  fulfilled.  The 
bamboo  joint  was  released  and  brought  down ;  and, 
sure  enough,  it  was  found  to  be  full  of  a  cool  clear 
liquor,  of  which  all  of  them  drank,  esteeming  it  equal 
to  the  best  champagne.  In  fact,  there  is  no  more  seduc- 
ing and  delicious  drink  in  all  India  than  the  sap  of  the 
palmyra  palm ;  but  it  is  also  very  intoxicating,  and  is 
used  too  freely  by  the  natives  of  the  country  where  this 
splendid  tree  flourishes. 

Sugar  can  also  be  manufactured  from  this  sap,  simply 
by  boiling  it  down.  When  sugar  is  to  be  made,  the 
tree  is  tapped  in  a  similar  manner  ;  but  it  is  necessary 
to  have  a  little  lime  in  the  vessel  while  collecting  the 
liquid,  else  it  would  ferment,  and  thus  spoil  it  for  sugar- 
boiling. 

The  reason  why  Ossaroo  was  so  ready  in  tapping  this 
particular  tree,  was  because  the  banyan  which  envel- 
oped its  trunk  offered  him  an  excellent  means  of  get- 
ting at  it.  Otherwise  it  would  have  been  no  easy 
matter  to  have  ascended  the  smooth  slender  shaft  of 
a  palmyra,  rising  thirty  or  forty  feet  without  knot  or 
branch.  Of  course  Ossaroo,  as  soon  as  the  bamboo  was 
empty,  once  more  climbed  up  and  readjusted  it  to  the 
"tap,"  knowing  that  the  sap  would  continue  to  run. 
This  it  does  for  many  days,  only  that  each  day  it  is 
necessary  to  cut  a  fresh  slice  from  the  top  of  the  flower- 
stalk,  so  as  to  keep  the  pores  open  and  free. 

Though  the  day  had  been  hot,  as  soon  as  twilight 
came  on  the  coolness  of  the  air  rendered  it  necessary 


TAPPING    THE    PALMYRA.  37 

for  our  travellers  to  kindle  a  fire.  Ossaroo  was  not 
long  in  striking  a  light  out  of  his  tinder-box,  and  hav- 
ing set  fire  to  some  dry  leaves  and  moss,  a  blaze  was 
soon  produced.  Meanwhile  Karl  and  Caspar  had 
broken  some  branches  from  a-  dead  tree  that  lay  near 
the  spot,  and  carrying  them  up  in  armfuls,  piled  them 
upon  the  burning  leaves.  A  roaring  fire  was  created 
in  a  few  minutes,  and  around  this  the  party  seated  them- 
selves, and  commenced  cooking  their  supper  of  rice, 
with  some  pieces  of  dried  meat,  which  they  had  brought 
along  from  the  last  village. 

Whilst  engaged  in  this  occupation,  so  agreeable  to 
men  who  are  hungry,  the  botanist,  whose  eye  was  al- 
ways on  the  alert  for  matters  relating  to  his  favorite 
calling,  remarked  that  the  wood  out  of  which  their  fire 
had  been  made  burned  very  much  like  oak.  On  taking 
up  one  of  the  fagots,  and  cutting  it  with  his  knife,  he 
was  astonished  to  find  that  it  was  oak  in  reality — for 
there  is  no  mistaking  the  grain  and  fibre  of  this  giant 
of  the  northern  forests.  What  astonished  him  was  the 
existence  of  oak-trees  in  a  country  where  the  flora  was 
altogether  tropical.  He  knew  that  he  might  expect  to 
find  representatives  of  the  oak  family  upon  the  sides  of 
the  Himalayas  ;  but  he  was  still  only  at  their  foot,  and 
in  the  region  of  the  palms  and-  bananas. 

Karl  knew  not  then,  nor  is  it  yet  generally  known, 
that  many  species  of  oaks  are  tropical  trees — in  fact, 
many  kinds  may  be  found  in  the  torrid  zone,  growing 
even  as  low  as  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  is  no  less 
strange,  that  although  there  are  no  oaks  in  tropical 
South  America  and  Africa,  in  Ceylon,  or  even  in  the 
peninsula  of  India  itself,  yet  there  are  numerous  species 


38  TAPPING     THE   PALMYRA. 

in  East  Bengal,  the  Moluccas,  and  the  Indian  islands— 
perhaps  a  greater  number  of  species  than  grows  in  any 
other  part  of  the  world  ! 

The  sight  of  this  old  acquaintance,  as  they  termed 
the  oak,  had  a  cheering  effect  upon  the  Bavarian  boys  ; 
and  after  supper  they  sat  conversing  upon  the  subject, 
determined  as  soon  as  it  was  day  to  look  out  for  some 
of  the  living  trees  as  further  confirmation  of  the  strange 
fact  they  had  observed. 

They  were  about  thinking  of  wrapping  themselves 
up  in  their  blankets,  and  retiring  to  rest,  when  an  in- 
cident occurred  that  kept  them  awake  for  another  hour 
or  two. 


THE    SAMBUR    STAG.  89 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    SAMBUR   STAG. 

"  SEE  J "  cried  Caspar,  who  was  more  sharp-eyed  than 
Karl. 

"  Look !  look  yonder !  two  lights,  I  declare !  " 

"  Indeed,  yes,"  replied  Karl ;  "  I  see  them — bright 
round  lights !  What  can  they  be  ?  " 

"An  animal ! "  answered  Caspar  ;  "  I  can  affirm  that 
much.  Some  wild  beast,  I  fancy  !  " 

They  regarded  the  strange  object  with  some  uneasi- 
ness, for  they  knew  they  were  in  the  haunts  of  dangerous 
wild  beasts. 

"  Maybe  a  tiger  ?  "  suggested  Karl. 

"  Or  a  panther  ?  "  added  his  brother. 

"  I  hope  neither  one  nor  the  other,"  said  Karl. 

He  was  interrupted  by  Ossaroo,  who  had  now  ob- 
served the  shining  spots,  and  who  with  a  single  word 
reassured  the  whole  party. 

"  Samboo,"  said  the  shikarree. 

Both  knew  that  Ossaroo  meant  by  "  Samboo,"  the 
great  deer  or  stag  known  to  Europeans  as  the  sambur 
deer.  It  was  the  eyes  of  a  deer,  then,  glancing  back 
the  blaze  of  the  oak  fagots,  that  had  alarmed  them. 

Their  fears  were  suddenly  changed  to  feelings  of  joy. 


40  THE    SAMBUR    STAG. 

They  had  a  double  motive  for  being  pleased  at  the 
sight.  To  shoot  and  bring  down  the  deer  would  be 
such  excellent  sport ;  besides,  a  fresh  venison  steak  was 
a  delicacy  which  both  could  appreciate. 

All  of  them,  Ossaroo  included,  were  too  well  ac- 
customed to  the  habits  of  hunters  to  act  rashly.  Any 
sudden  movement  among  them  might  frighten  the 
game;  and  if  it  bounded  off  into  the  forest,  or  even 
turned  its  head,  it  could  no  longer  be  seen  in  the  pitchy 
darkness  that  surrounded  them.  The  shining  eyes  were 
all  of  it  that  were  visible  ;  and  if  the  creature  had  but 
chosen  to  shut  its  eyes  it  might  have  stood  there  till 
the  morning  light,  without  the  least  chance  of  being 
aimed  at. 

The  animal,  however,  was  too  full  of  its  own  curiosity 
to  adopt  this  precaution.  Instead,  it  remained  where  it 
had  been  first  observed — its  great  round  orbs  uncovered 
to  their  full  extent  and  gleaming  in  the  light  like  a  pair 
of  "bull's-eyes." 

Caspar  in  a  whisper  cautioned  the  others  to  remain 
silent  and  not  to  move  hand  or  finger.  He,  himself, 
gradually  dropped  his  arm,  until  he  was  able  to  grasp 
his  large  double-barrelled  gun ;  and  then,  raising  the 
piece  slowly  to  a  level,  took  aim  and  fired.  He  very 
prudently  did  not  aim  for  the  centre  spot  between  the 
eyes.  Had  it  been  a  bullet  that  was  in  his  gun  he  might 
have  done  so ;  but  he  knew  that  his  piece  was  only  loaded 
with  shot,  and  shot — even  though  they  were  "buck-shot" 
— might  not  penetrate  the  hard  thick  skull  of  a  stag  so 
strong  as  the  sambur.  Instead  of  aiming  for  the  eyes, 
therefore,  he  took  sight  at  least  a  foot  below  them,  and 
in  a  direct  line  below.  He  had  already  conjectured, 


THE    SAMBUR    STAG.  41 

from  the  even  set  of  the  eyes,  that  the  deer  was  stand- 
ing full  front  towards  the  camp-fire,  and  his  object  was 
to  send  the  shot  into  its  breast  and  throat. 

The  instant  after  he  had  delivered  the  first  barrel, 
although  the  shining  eyes  went  out  like  the  snuffing  of 
candles,  he  fired  the  second,  so  as  to  take  advantage  of 
a  random  shot. 

He  might  have  spared  his  load,  for  the  first  had  done 
the  business  ;  and  the  noise  of  kicking  and  sprawling 
among  the  dry  leaves  told  that  the  deer  was  knocked 
over,  and,  if  not  killed,  at  least  badly  wounded. 

The  dog  Fritz  had  already  leaped  forth ;  and  before 
the  hunters  could  procure  a  torch  and  reach  the  spot, 
the  huge  hound  had  seized  the  quarry  by  the  throat, 
and  finished  its  struggles  by  strangling  it  to  death. 

They  now  dragged  the  carcass  up  to  the  light  of  the 
fire,  and  it  was  just  as  much  as  the  three  of  them  could 
manage — for  the  sambur  deer  is  one  of  the  largest  ani- 
mals of  its  kind,  and  the  one  that  had  fallen  into  their 
hands  was  a  fine  old  buck,  with  a  pair  of  immense 
antlered  horns,  of  which  no  doubt  in  his  lifetime  he  had 
been  excessively  proud. 

The  sambur  deer  is  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
of  the  deer  tribe.  Although  not  equal  in  size  to 
the  American  wapiti  (Cervus  Canadensis),  he  is  much 
superior  to  the  'stag  or  red-deer  of  Europe.  He  is  an 
active,  bold,  and  vicious  animal ;  and,  when  bayed,  a 
dangerous  antagonist  either  to  dogs  or  hunters.  His 
coat  is  close,  the  hair  harsh,  of  a  brown  color,  and 
slightly  grizzled.  Around  the  neck  it  is  long  and 
shaggy,  but  particularly  upon  the  under  line  of  the 
throat,  where  it  forms  a  mane  similar  to  that  of  the 


42  THE    SAMBUR    STAG. 

American  wapiti.  Another  mane  runs  along  the  back 
of  the  neck,  adding  to  the  fierce  bold  appearance  of  the 
animal.  A  blackish  band  encircles  the  muzzle,  and 
the  usual  "  crupper  mark  "  around  the  tail  is  small  and 
of  a  yellowish  color. 

This  is  the  description  of  the  common  sambur  deer 
(Cemus  hippelaphus)  best  known  to 'Europeans,  and 
among  Anglo-Indian  sportsmen  called  "  stag " ;  but  it 
is  to  be  observed  that  in  different  parts  of  Asia  there 
are  many  different  species  and  varieties  of  the  sambur. 
Zoologists  usually  class  them  in  a  group  called  Eusa  ; 
and  one  or  other  of  this  group  may  be  found  in  every 
district  of  India  from  Ceylon  to  the  Himalayas,  and 
from  the  Indus  to  the  islands  of  the  Indian  Archipelago. 
They  haunt  in  timber,  and  usually  by  the  banks  of 
streams  or  other  waters. 

America  has  long  been  regarded  as  the  favorite  re- 
gion of  the  deer  tribe,  as  Africa  is  the  true  home  of  the 
antelopes.  This  belief,  however,  seems  to  be  rather  an 
incorrect  one,  and  has  arisen,  perhaps,  from  the  fact 
that  the  American  species  are  better  known  to  Euro- 
peans. It  is  true  that  the  largest  of  the  deer — the 
moose  ( Cervus  alces) — is  an  inhabitant  of  the  Ameri- 
can continent  in  common  with  Northern  Europe  and 
Asia ;  but  the  number  of  species  on  that  continent,  both 
in  its  northern  and  southern  divisions,  is  very  limited. 
When  the  zoology  of  the  East — I  mean  of  all  those 
countries  and  islands  usually  included  under  the  term 
East  Indies — shall  have  been  fully  determined,  we 
shall  no  doubt  find  not  only  twice,  but  three  times  the 
number  of  species  of  deer  that  belongs  to  America. 

When  we   consider   the  vast   number  of   educated 


THE    SAMBUR   STAG.  43 

«4 

Englishmen — both  in  the  army  and  in  the  civil  service 
— who  have  idled  away  their  lives  in  India,  we  cannot 
help  wondering  at  the  little  that  is  yet  known  in  rela- 
tion to  the  fauna  of  the  Oriental  world.  Most  of  the 
Indian  officers  have  looked  upon  the  wild  animals  of 
that  country  with  ths  eye  of  the  sportsman  rather  than 
of  the  naturalist.  With  them  a  deer  is  .a  deer,  and  a 
large  ox-like  animal  a  buffalo,  or  it  may  be  a  gayal,  or 
a  jungle  cow,  or  a  gour,  or  a  gyall;  but  which  of  all 
these  is  an  ox,  or  whether  the  four  last-mentioned 
bovine  quadrupeds  are  one  and  the  same  species, 
remains  to  be  determined.  Were  it  not  that  these 
gentlemen  have  had  spirit  enough  occasionally  to  send 
us  home  a  skin  or  a  set  of  horns,  we  might  remain 
altogether  ignorant  of  the  existence  of  the  creature 
from  which  these  trophies  were  taken.  Verily  science 
owes  not  much  to  the  Honorable  East  India  Company. 
We  are  not  blind  to  such  noble  exceptions  as  Sykes, 
Hodgson,  and  others ;  and,  if  every  province  of  India 
had  a  resident  of  their  character,  a  fauna  might  soon 
be  catalogued  tnat  would  astonish  even  the  spectacled 
savant. 


3 


44  A   NIGHT    MARAUDER. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A    NIGHT   MARAUDER. 

OSSAROO  soon  stripped  the  stag  of  its  skin,  cut  the 
carcass  into  quarters,  and  hung  them  on  the  limb  of  a 
tree.  Although  the  party  had  already  supped,  the  ex- 
citement which  had  been  'occasioned  by  the  incident 
gave  them  a  fresh  appetite ;  and  venison  steaks  were 
broiled  over  the  oak-wood  cinders,  and  eaten  with  a 
relish.  These  were  washed  down  by  fresh  draughts  of 
the  delicious  palm-wine  ;  and  then  the  travellers,  having 
gathered  some  of  the  hanging  moss  (Usnea),  and 
strewed  it  near  the  fire,  rolled  themselves  in  their 
blankets,  and  went  to  sleep. 

About  .midnight  there  was  a  camp  alarm.  The 
sleepers  were  awakened  by  the  dog  Fritz ;  who,  by 
his  angry  baying  and  fierce  demonstrations,  showed 
that  some  creature  must  have  approached  the  fire  that 
had  no  business  to  be  there.  On  rousing  themselves 
they  thought  they  heard  footsteps  at  a  little  distance, 
and  a  low  growl  as  of  some  wild  beast ;  but  it  wgs  not 
easy  to  distinguish  any  sound  in  particular,  as  at  this 
season  the  tropical  forest  is  full  of  noises — so  loud  that 
it  is  often  difficult  for  persons  to  hear  each  other  in 
conversation.  What  with  the  chirruping  of  cicadas, 


A   NIGHT    MARAUDER.  45 

the  croaking  of  swamp-frogs,  the  tinkling  of  tree-toads, 
and  the  hooting  and  screeching  of  owls  and  night- 
hawks,  the  Indian  forest  is  filled  with  a  deafening  din 
throughout  the  whole  'night. 

Fritz  ceased  barking  after  a  time;  and  they  all  went 
to  sleep  again,  and  slept  till  morning. 

As  soon  as  day  broke,  they  were  up,  and  set  about 
preparing  breakfast.  Fresh  fagots  were  piled  upon 
the  fire,  and  preparations  made  for  a  savoury  roast 
of  venison  rib.  Ossaroo  climbed  up  to  his  tap,  while 
Caspar  went  for  the  meat. 

The  quarters  of  the  deer  had  been  suspended  upon  a 
tree,  at  the  distance  of  about  fifty  paces  from  the  camp- 
fire.  The  reason  of  their  being  hung  at  such  ^distance 
was  that  a  stream  flowed  there,  and  in  order  to  clean 
the  meat,  they  had  carried  it  down  to  the  water's  edge 
A  horizontal  branch,  which  was  about  the  proper  height 
from  the  ground,  had  tempted  Ossaroo,  and  he  had 
chosen  it  for  his  "  meat-rack."  * 

An  exclamation  from  Caspar  now  summoned  the 
others  to  the  spot. 

"  See ! "  cried  he,  as  they  came  up,  "  one  of  the  quar- 
ters gone ! " 

"  Ha  !  there  have  been  thieves ! "  said  Karl.  «  That 
was  what  caused  Fritz  to  bark." 

"  Thieves ! "  ejaculated  Caspar.  "  Not  men  thieves ! 
They  would  have  carried  off"  the  four  quarters  instead 
of  one.  Some  wild  beast  has  been  the  thief !  " 

"  Yes,  Sahib,  you  speakee  true,"  said  the  shikarree, 
who  had  now  reached  the  spot ;  "  he  wild  beast — he 
Very  wild  beast — big  tiger  !  " 

At  the  mention  of  the  name  of  this  terrible  animal, 


46  A  NIGHT   MARAUDER. 

both  boys  started,  and  looked  anxiously  around.  Even 
Ossaroo  himself  exhibited  symptoms  of  fear.  To  think 
they  had  been  sleeping,  on  the  open  ground  so  close  to 
a  tiger — the  most  savage  and  dreaded  of  all  beasts-— 
and  this,  too,  in  India,  where  they  were  constantly 
hearing  tales  of  the  ravages  committed  by  these  ani- 
mals! 

"  You  think  it  was  a  tiger  ?  "  said  the  botanist,  inter- 
rupting Ossaroo. 

"  Sure,  Sahib — lookee  here ! — Sahib,  see  him  track ! " 

The  shikarree  pointed  to  some  tracks  in  the  selvidge 
of  sand  that  lined  the  bank  of  the  rivulet.  There,  sure 
enough,  were  the  footprints  of  a  large  animal ;  and, 
upon  inspecting  them  closely,  they  could  easily  be 
distinguished  as  those  of  a  creature  of  the  cat  tribe. 
There  were  the  pads  or  cushions  smoothly  imprinted  in 
the  sand,  and  the  slight  impression  of  the  claws — for 
the  tiger,  although  possessed  of  very  long  and  sharp 
claws,  can  retsact  these  when  walking,  so  as  to  leave 
very  little  mark  of  them  in  the  mud  or  sand.  The 
tracks  were  too  large  to  be  mistaken  for  those  either  of 
a  leopard  or  panther,  and  the  only  other  animal  to  which 
they  could  appertain  was  the  lion.  There  were  lions 
in  that  district.  But  Ossaroo  well  knew  how  to  distin- 
guish between  the  tracks  of  the  two  great  carnivora, 
and  without  a  moment's  hesitation  he  pronounced  the 
robber  to  have  been  a  tiger. 

It  now  became  a  matter  of  serious  consideration  what 
"they  should  do  under  the  circumstances.  Should  they 
abandon  their  camp,  and  move  forward  ?  Karl,  was 
very  desirous  of  spending  a  day  or  two  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. He  made  no  doubt  of  being  able  to  find 


A  NIGHT   MARAUDER.  47 

several  new  species  of  plants  there.  But  with  the 
knowledge  of  having  such  a  neighbor  they  would  not 
sleep  very  soundly.  The  tiger  would,  no  doubt,  return 
to  the  camp.  He  was  not  likely  to  stay  away  from  a 
quarter  where  he  had  found  such  hospitable  entertain- 
ment— such  a  good  supper.  He  must  have  seen  the 
rest  of  the  venison,  and  would  be  sure  to  pay  them 
another  visit  on  the  following  night.  True,  they  might 
kindle  large  fires,  and  frighten  him  off  from  their  sleep- 
ing place;  still,  they  would  be  under  an  unpleasant 
apprehension ;  and  even  during  the  day  they  had  no 
confidence  that  he  might  not  attack  them — particularly 
if  they  went  botanizing  in  the  woods.  The  very  places 
into  which  their  occupation  would  lead  them^would  be 
those  in  which  they  were  most  likely  to  meet  this 
dreaded  neighbor.  Perhaps,  therefore,  it  would  be 
best  to  pack  up,  and  proceed  on  their  journey. 

While  eating  their  breakfasts  the  thing  was  debated 
among  them.  Caspar,  full  of  hunter-spirjt,  was  desirous 
of  having  a  peep  at  the  tiger  anyhow ;  but  Karl  was 
more  prudent,  if  not  a  little  more  timid,  and  thought  it 
was  better  to  u  move  on."  This  was  the  opinion  of  the 
botanist ;  but  he  at  length  gave  way  to  Caspar,  and 
more  particularly  to  Ossaroo,  who  proposed  kitting  the 
tiger  if  they  would  only  remain  one  night  longer  upon 
the  ground. 

"  What !  with  your  bow,  Ossaroo  ?  "  asked  Caspar ; 
**  with  your  poisoned  arrows  ?  " 

"  No,  young  Sahib,"  replied  Ossaroo.  ^» 

"  I  thought  you  would  have  but  little  chance  to  kill  a 
great  tiger  with  such  weapons.  How  do  you  mean  to 
*o  it  then  ?  " 


48  -    A    NIGHT    MARAUDER. 

"  If  Sahib  Karl  consent  to  stay  till  to-morrow,  Ossa« 
roo  show  you — he  kill  tiger — he  catch  'im  'live." 

"  Catch  him  alive  ! — In  a  trap  ? — In  a  snare  ?  " 

"  No  trapee — no  snaree.  You  see.  Ossaroo  do  what 
he  say— he  take  tiger  'live." 

Ossaroo  had  evidently  some  plan  of  his  own,  and  the 
others  became  curious  to  know  what  it  was.  As  the 
shikarree  promised  that  it  was  unattended  with  danger, 
the  botanist  consented  to  remain,  and  let  the  trial  be 
made. 

Ossaroo  now  let  them  into  the  secret  of  his  plan ; 
and  as  soon  as  they  had  finished  eating  their  breakfasts, 
all  hands  set  to  work  to  assist  him  in  carrying  it  into 
execution. 

They  proceeded  as  follows.  In  the  first  place,  a 
large  number  of  joints  of  bamboo  were  obtained  from 
a  neighboring  thicket  of  these  canes.  The  bark  of  the 
banyan  was  then  cut,  and  the  canes  inserted  in  such  a 
manner  that  the  white  milky  sap  ran  into  them.  Each 
joint  was  left  closed  at  the  bottom,  and  served  as  a 
vessel  to  collect  the  juice,  and  such  stems  of  the  fig  only 
were  tapped  as  were  young  and  full  of  sap.  As  soon 
as  a  sufficient  quantity  of  the  fluid  had  been  distilled 
into  the  canes,  the  contents  of  all  were  poured  into  the 
cooking-pot,  and  hung  over  a  slow  fire.  The  sap  was 
then  stirred — fresh  juice  being  occasionally  thrown  in — 
and  in  a  short  while  the  whole  attained  the  toughness 
and  consistency  of  the  best  birdlime.  It  was,  in  fact, 
fffte  birdlime — the  same  that  is  used  by  the  bird- 
catchers  of  India,  and  quite  equal  to  that  manufactured . 
from  the  holly. 

During  the  time  that  this  was  being  prepared,  Karl 


A   NIGHT    MARAUDER.  49 

and  Caspar,  by  the  directions  of  Ossaroo,  bad  climbed 
into  the  trees,  and  collected  an  immense  quantity  of 
leaves.  These  leaves  were  also  taken  from  the  banyan 
figs,  and  for  this  purpose  they  had  selected  those  that 
grew  on  the  youngest  trees  and  shoots.  Each  leaf  was 
as  large  as  a  tea-plate,  and  they  were  covered  with  a 
woolly  pubescence,  peculiar  only  to  the  leaves  upon  the 
younger  trees — for  as  the  banyan  grows  old  its  leaves 
become  harder  and  smoother  on  the  surface. 

The  fig-leaves  having  been  gathered  to  his  hand,  and 
the  birdlime  made  ready,  Ossaroo  proceeded  to  carry 
out  his  design. 

The  two  remaining  quarters  of  the  venison  still  hung 
on  the  tree.  These  were  permitted  to  remain — as  a 
bait  to  the  singular  trap  that  Ossaroo  was  about  to  set 
— only  that  they  were  raised  higher  from  the  ground^  in 
order  that  the  tiger  might  not  too  readily  snatch  them 
away,  and  thus  defeat  the  stratagem  of  the  hunter. 

The  venison  having  been  hung  to  his  liking,  Ossaroo 
now  cleared  the  ground  for  a  large  space  around — di- 
recting his  assistants  to  carry  off  all  the  brush  and  dead 
wood  to  a  distance  from  the  spot.  This  was  quickly 
done,  and  then  the  shikarree  put  the  finishing  stroke  to 
his  work.  This  occupied  him  for  two  hours  at  least, 
and  consisted  in  anointing  all  the  fig-leaves  that  had 
been  gathered  with  a  coat  of  birdlime,  and  spreading 
them  over  the  ground,  until  they  covered  a  space  of 
many  yards  in  circumference.  In  the  centre  of  this 
space  hung  the  venison ;  and  no  creature  could  have 
approached  within  yards  of  it  without  treading  upon 
the  smeared  leaves.  The  leaves  had  been  anointed 
upon  both  sides,  so  that  they  adhered  slightly  to  the 


50  A   NIGHT   MARAUDER. 

grass,  and  a  breeze  of  wind  could  not  have  disarranged 
them  to  any  great  extent. 

When  all  was  fixed  to  their  satisfaction,  Ossaroo  and 
the  others  returned  to  the  camp-fire,  and  ate  a  hearty 
dinner.  It  was  already  late  in  the  day,  for  they  had 
been  many  hours  at  work,  and  they  had  not  thought  of 
dining  until  their  arrangements  were  complete.  Noth- 
ing more  remained  to  be  done,  but  to  await  the  result 
of  their  stratagem. 


A   TALK   ABOUT    TIGERS.  51 


CHAPTER  X. 

A   TALK   ABOUT   TIGERS. 

J  NEED  not  describe  a  tiger.  You  have  seen  one,  OP 
the  picture  of  one.  He  is  the  great  striped  cat.  The 
large  spotted  ones  are  not  tigers.  They  are  either  jagu- 
ars, or  panthers,  or  leopards,  or  ounces,  or  cheetahs,  or 
servals.  But  there  is  no  danger  of  your  mistaking  the 
tiger  for  any  other  animal.  He  is  the  largest  of  the 
feline  tribe — the  lion  alone  excepted — and  individual 
tigers  have  been  measured  as  large  as  the  biggest  lion. 
The  shaggy  mane  that  covers  the  neck  and  shoulders  of 
an  old  Inale  lion  gives  him  the  appearance  of  being  of 
greater  dimensions  than  he  really  is.  Skin  him  and  he 
would  not  be  larger  than  an  old  he-tiger  also  divested  of 
his  hide. 

Like  the  lion,  the  tiger  varies  but  little  in  form  or 
color.  Nature  does  not  sport  with  these  powerful  beasts. 
It  is  only  upon  the  meaner  animals  she  plays  off  her 
eccentricities.  The  tiger  may  be  seen  with  the  ground 
color  of  a  lighter  or  deeper  yellow,  and  the  stripes  or 
bars  more  or  less  black ;  but  the  same  general  appear- 
ance is  preserved,  and  the  species  can  always  be  recog- 
nized at  a  glance. 

The  range  or  habitat  of  the  tiger  is  more  limited  than 
3* 


52  A   TALK   ABOUT    TIGERS. 

• 

that  of  the  lion.  The  latter  exists  throughout  the  whole 
of  Africa,  as  well  as  the  southern  half  of  Asia  ;  whereas 
the  tiger  is  found  only  in  the  southeastern  countries  of 
Asia,  and  some  of  the  larger  islands  of  the  Indian 
Archipelago.  Westwardly  his  range  does  not  extend 
to  this  side  of  the  Indus  river,  and  how  far  north  in 
Asia  is  uncertain.  Some  naturalists  assert  that  there 
are  tigers  in  Asia  as  far  north  as  the  Obi  River.  This 
would  prove  the  tiger  to  be  not  altogether  a  tropical 
animal,  as  he  is  generally  regarded.  It  is  certain  that 
tigers  once  did  inhabit  the  countries  around  the  Caspian 
Sea,  There  lay  Hyrcania ;  and  several  Roman  writers 
speak  of  the  Hyrcanian  tigers.  They  could  not  have 
meant  any  of  the  spotted  cats, — ounce,  panther,  or  leop- 
ard,— for  the  Romans  knew  the  difference  between  these 
and  the  striped  or  true  tiger.  If,  then,  the  tiger  was  an 
inhabitant  of  those  trans-Himalayan  regions  in  the  days 
of  Augustus,  it  is  possible  it  still  exists  there,  as  we 
have  proofs  of  its  existence  in  Mongolia  and  northern 
China  at  the  present  day. 

Were  we  to  believe  some  travellers,  we  should  have 
the  tiger,  not  only  in  Africa,  but  in  America.  The 
jaguar  is  the  tiger  (tigre)  of  the  Spanish  Americans ; 
and  the  panther,  leopard,  and  cheetah,  have  all  done 
duty  as  "  tigers "  in  the  writings  of  old  travellers  in 
Africa. 

The  true  home  of  this  fierce  creature  is  the  hot  jun- 
gle covered  country  that  exists  in  extended  tracts  in 
Hindostan,  Siam,  Malaya,  and  parts  of  China.  There 
the  tiger  roams  undisputed  lord  of  the  thicket  and 
forest;  and  although  the  lion  is  also  found  in  these 
countries,  he  is  comparatively  a  rare  animal,  and,  from 


A   TALK   ABOUT    TIGERS.  53 

being  but  seldom  met  with,  is  less  talked  about  or 
feared, 

We  who  live  far  away  from  the  haunts  of  these  great 
camivora,  can  hardly  realize  the  terror  which  is  inspired 
by  them  in  the  countries  they  infest. 

In  many  places  human  life  is  not  safe  ;  and  men  go 
out  upon  a  journey,  with  the  same  dread  of  meeting  a 
tiger,  that  we  would  have  for  an  encounter  with  a  mad 
dog.  This  dread  is  by  no  means  founded  upon  mere 
fancies  or  fabricated  stories.  Every  village  has  its  true 
tales  of  tiger  attacks  and  encounters,  and  every  settle- 
ment has  its  list  of  killed  or  maimed.  You  can  scarce 
credit  such  a  relation  ;  but  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that 
whole  districts  of  fertile  country  have  from  time  to  time 
been  abandoned  by  their  inhabitants  out  of  pure  fear  of 
the  tigers  and  panthers  which  infested  them !  Indeed, 
similar  cases  of  depopulation  have  occurred  in  South 
America,  caused  by  a  far  less  formidable  wild  beast — 
the  jaguar.* 

In  some  parts  of  India  the  natives  scarce  attempt 
resistance  to  the  attack  of  the  tiger.  Indeed,  the 
superstition  of  his  victims  aids  the  fierce  monster  in 
their  destruction.  They  regard  him  as  being  gifted 
with  supernatural  power,  and  sent  by  their  gods  to 
destroy ;  and  under  this  conviction  yield  themselves  up, 
without  making  the  slightest  resistance. 

In  other  parts,  where  races  exist  possessed  of  more 
energy  of  character,  the  tiger  is  hunted  eagerly,  and 
various  modes  of  killing  or  capturing  him  are  practised 
in  different  districts. 

Sometimes  a  bow  is  set  with  poisoned  arrows,  and  a 
cord  attached  to  the  string.  A  bait  is  then  placed  on 


54  A   TALK  ABOUT   TIGERS. 

the  ground,  and  arranged  in  such  a  way  that  the  tiger, 
on  approaching  it,  presses  against  the  cord,  sets  the 
bow-string  free,  and  is  pierced  by  the  arrow — the  poison 
of  which  eventually  causes  his  death. 

A  spring-gun  is  set  off  by  a  similar  contrivance,  and 
the  tiger  shoots  himself. 

The  log-trap  or  "dead  fall" — often  employed  by 
American  backwoodsmen  for  capturing  the  black  bear- 
is  also  in  use  in  India  for  trapping  the  tiger.  This  con- 
sists of  a  heavy  log  or  beam  so  adjusted  upon  the  top 
of  another  one  by  a  prop  or  "  trigger,"  as  to  fall  and 
crush  whatever  animal  may  touch  the  trigger.  A  bait 
is  also  used  for  this  species  of  trap. 

Hunting  the  tiger  upon  elephants  is  a  royal  sport  in 
India,  and  is  often  followed  by  the  Indian  rajahs,  and 
sometimes  by  British  sportsmen^ — officers  of  the  East 
India  Company.  This  sport  is,  of  course,  very  excit- 
ing ;  but  there  is  nothing  of  a  ruse  practised  in  it.  The 
hunters  go  armed  with  rifles  and  spears  ;  af!d  attended 
by  a  large  number  of  natives,  who  beat  the  jungle  and 
drive  the  game  within  reach  of  the  sportsmen.  Many 
lives  are  sacrificed  in  this  dangerous  sport ;  but  those 
who'  suffer  are  usually  the  poor  peasants  employed  as 
beaters ;  and  an  Indian  rajah  holds  the  lives  of  a  score 
or  two  of  his  subjects  as  lightly  as  that  of  a  tiger 
itself. 

It  is  said  the  Chinese  catch  the  tiger  in  a  box-trap, 
which  they  bait  simply  with  a  looking-glass.  The  tiger, 
on  approaching  the  looking-glass,  perceives  his  own 
shadow,  and  mistaking  it  for  a  rival,  rushes  forward  to 
the  trap,  frees  the  trigger,  and  is  caught.  It  may  be 
that  the  Chinese  practised  such  a  method.  That  part  is 


A  TALK  ABOUT   TIGERS.  55 

likely  enough ;  but  it  is  not  likely  that  they  take  many 
tigers  in  this  way. 

Perhaps  you  may  be  of  opinion  that  the  plan  which 
Ossaroo  was  about  to  follow  was  quite  as  absurd  as  that 
of  the  Chinese.  *  It  certainly  did  sound  very  absurd  to 
his  companions,  when  he  first  told  them  that  it  was  his 
intention  to  catch  the  tiger  by  birdlime  I 


56  A  TIGER   TAKEN   BY   BIRDLIME 


CHAPTER  XI. 

A   TIGER    TAKEN    BY   BIRDLIME. 

THE  plan  of  the  shikarree  was  put  to  the  test 
Boonef  than  any  of  them  expected.  They  did  not  look 
for  the  tiger  to  return  before  sunset,  and  they  had  re- 
solved to  pass  the  night  among  the  branches  of  the  ban- 
yan in  order  to  be  out  of  the  way  of  danger.  The 
tiger  might  take  it  into  his  head  to  stroll  into  their  camp  ; 
and  although,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  these  fierce 
brutes  have  a  dread  of  fire,  there  are'  some  of  them  that 
.do  not  regard  it,  and  instances  have  occurred  of  tigers 
making  their  attack  upon  men  who  were  seated  close  to 
a  blazing  pile  !  Ossaroo  knew  of  several  such  cases, 
and  had,  therefore,  given  his  advice,  that  all  of  them 
should  pass  the  night  in  the  tree.  It  was  true  the  tiger 
could  easily  scale  the  banyan  if  the  notion  occurred  to 
him ;  but,  unless  they  made  seme  noise  to  attract  his 
attention,  he  would  not  be  likely  to  discover  their  where- 
abouts. They  had  taken  the  precaution  to  erect  a  plat- 
form of  bamboos  among  the  branches,  so  as  to  serve 
them  for  a  resting-place. 

After  all,  they  were  not  under  the  necessity  of  resort- 
ing to  this  elevated  roost, — at  least  for  the  purpose  of 
passing  the  night  there.  But  they  occupied  it  for  a 
while  ;  and  during  that  while  they  were  witnesses  to  a 


A   TIGER    TAKEN   BY    BIRDLIME.  57 

scene  that  for  singularity,  and  comicality  as  well,  was 
equal  to  anything  that  any  of  them  had  ever  beheld. 

It  wanted  about  half-an-hour  of  sunset,  and  they  were 
all  seated  around  the  camp-fire,  when  a  singular  noise 
reached  their  ears.  It  was  not  unlike  the  "  whirr " 
made  by  a  thrashing-machine — which  any  one  must 
have  heard  who  has  travelled  through  an  agricultural 
district.  Unlike  this,  however,  the  sound  was  not'  pro- 
longed, but  broke  out  at  intervals,  continued  for  a  few 
seconds,  and  then  was  silent  again. 

Ossaroo  was  the  only  one  of  the  party  who,  on  hear- 
ing this  sound,  exhibited  any  feelings  of  alarm.  The 
others  were  simply  curibus.  It  was  an  unusual  sound. 
They  wondered  what  was  producing  it — nothing  more. 

They  quite  shared  the  alarm  of  the  shikarree,  when 
the  latter  informed  them  that  what  they  heard  was 
neither  more  nor  less  than  the  "  purr  "  of  a  tiger  ! 

Ossaroo  communicated  this  information  in  an  ominous 
whisper,  at  the  same  instant  crouching  forward  towards 
the  main  trunk  of  the  banyan,  and  beckoning  to  the 
others  to  follow  him. 

Without  a  word  they  obeyed  the  sign,  and  all  three 
climbed,  one  after  the  other,  up  the  trunk,  and  silently 
seated  themselves,  among  the  branches. 

By  looking  through  the  outer  screen  of  leaves,  and  a 
little  downward,  they  could  see  the  quarters  of  venison 
hanging  from  the  limb,  and  also  the  whole  surface  of 
the  ground  where  the  glittering  leaves  were  spread. 

Whether  the  haunch  which  the  tiger  had  stolen 
on  the  preceding  night  had  not  been  sufficient  for  his 
supper,  and  he  had  grown  hungry  again  before  his  usual 
feeding-time,  is  uncertain.  But  certain  it  is  that  Ossaroo, 


58  A   TIGER    TAKEN    BY   BIKDLIME. 

who  understood  well  the  habits  of  this  striped  robber, 
did  not  expect  him  to  return  so  soon.  He  looked  for  him 
after  darkness  should  set  in.  But  the  loud  "  purr-r-r  " 
that  at  intervals  came  booming  through  the  jungle,  and 
each  time  sounding  more  distinctly,  showed  that  the 
great  cat  was  upon  the  ground.  • 

All  at  once  they  espied  him  coming  out  of -the  bushes, 
and  fch  the  other  side  of  the  rivulet— his  broad  whitish* 
throat  and  breast  shining  in  contrast  with  the  dark 
green  foliage.  He  was  crouching  just  after  the  manner 
of  a  house-cat  when  making  her  approach  to  some  un- 
wary bird — his  huge  paws  spread  before  him,  and  his 
long  back  hollowed  down — a  hifleous  and  fearful  object 
to  behold.  His  eyes  appeared  to  flash  fire,  as  he  bent 
them  upon  the  tempting  joints  hanging  high  up  upon 
the  branch  of  the  tree. 

After  reconnoitring  a  little,  he  gathered  up  his  long 
back  into  a  curve,  vaulted  into  the  air,  and  cleared  the 
rivulet  from  bank  to  bank.  Then,  without  further  pause, 
be  trotted  nimbly  forward,  and  stopped  directly  under 
the  hanging  joints. 

Ossaroo  had  purposely  raised  the  meat  above  its  for- 
mer elevation,  and  the  lowest  ends  of*the  joints  were 
full  twelve  feet  from  the  ground.  Although  the  tiger  can 
bound  to  a  very  great  distance  in  a  horizontal  direction, 
he  is  not  so  well  fitted  for  springing  vertically  upwards, 
and  therefore  the  tempting  morsels  were  just  beyond  his 
reach.  He  seemed  to  be  somewhat  nonplussed  at  this— 
for  upon  his  last  visit  he  had  found  things  rather  differ- 
ent— but  after  regarding  the  joints  for  a  moment  or  two, 
and  uttering  a  loud  snuff  of  discontent,  he  flattened  his 
paws  against  the  ground,  and  sprang  high  into  air. 


A   TIGER    TAKEN    BY   BIRDLIME.  59 

The  attempt  was  a  failure.  He  came  back  to  the 
earth  without  having  touched  the  meat,  and  expressed 
his  dissatisfaction  by  an  angry  growl. 
-  In  another  moment,  he  made  a  second  spring  up- 
wards. This  time,  he  struck  one  of  the  quarters  with 
his  paw,  and  sent  it  swinging  backwards  and  firwards, 
though  it  had  been  secured  too  well  to  the  branch  to  be 
in  any  danger  of  falling. 

All  at  once,  the  attention  of  the  great  brute  became 
directed  to  a  circumstance,  which  seemed  to  puzzle 
him  not  a  little.  He  noticed  that  there  was  something 
adhering  to  his  paws.  He  raised  one  of  them  from  the 
ground,  and  saw  that  two  or  three  leaves  were  sticking 
to  it.  What  could  be  the  matter  with  the  leaves,  to 
cling  to  his  soles  in  that  manner  ?  They  appeared  to 
be  wet,  but  what  of  that  ?  He  had  never  known  wet 
leaves  stick  to  his  feet  any  more  than  dry  ones.  Per- 
haps it  was  this  had  hindered  him  from  springing  up 
as  high  as  he  had  intended  ?  At  all  events,  he  did  not 
feel  quite  comfortable,  and  he  should  have  the  leaves 
off  before  he  attempted  to  leap  again.  He  gave  his 
paw  a  slight  shake,  but  the  leaves  would  not  go.  He 
shook  it  more  v^lently,  still  the  leaves  adhered !  He 
could  not  make  it  out.  There  was  some  gummy  sub- 
stance upon  them,  such  as  he  had  never  met  with  before 
in  all  his  travels.  He  had  rambled  over  many  a  bed 
of  fig-leaves  in  his  day,  but  had  neve*  set  foot  upon 
such  sticky  leaves  as  these. 

Another  hard  shake  of  the  paw  produced  no  better 
effect.  Still  stuck  fast  the  leaves,  as  if  they  had  been 
pitch  plasters ;  one  covering  the  whole  surface  of  his 
foot,  and  others  adhering  to  its  edges.  Several  had 


60  A   TIGER    TAKEN   BY   BIRDLIME. 

even  fastened  themselves  on  his  ankles.      What  the 
deuce  did  it  all  mean  ? 

As  shaking  the  paw  was  of  no  use,  he  next  attempted 
to  get  rid  of  them  by  the  only  other  means  known  to 
him ;  that  was  by  rubbing  them  off  against  his  cheeks 
and  snogt.  He  raised  the  paw  to  his  ears,  and  drew  it 
along  the  side  of  his  head.  He  succeeded  in  getting 
most  of  them  off  his  foot  in  this  way,  but,  to  his  cha- 
grin, they  now  adhered  to  his  head,  ears,  and  jaws, 
where  they  felt  still  more  uncomfortable  and  annoying. 
These  he  resolved  to  detach,  by  using  his  paw  upon 
them ;  but,  instead  of  doing  so,  he  only  added  to  their 
number,  for,  on  raising  his  foot,  he  found  that  a  fresh 
batch  of  the  sticky  leaves  had  fastened  upon  it.  He 
now  tried  the  other  foot,  with  no  better  effect.  It,  too, 
was  covereS  with  gummy  leaves,  that  only  became 
detached  to  fasten  upon  his  jaws,  and  stick  there,  in 
spite  of  all  his  efforts  to  tear  them  off.  Even  some  of 
them  had  got  over  his  eyes,  and  already  half-blinded 
him !  But  one  way  remained  to  get  rid  of  the  leaves, 
that  had  so  fastened  upon  his  head.  Every  time  he 
applied  his  paws,  it  only  made  things  worse.  But  there 
was  still  a  way  to  get  them  off — so  thoi^ht  he — by  rub- 
bing his  head  along  the  ground. 

No  sooner  thought  of  than  done.  He  pressed  his  jaws 
down  to  the  earth,  and,  using  his  hind  legs  to  push  him- 
self along,  he  rubbed  hard  to  rid  himself  of  the  an- 
noyance. He  then  turned  over,  and  tried  the  same 
method  with  the  other  side ;  but,  after  continuing  at 
this  for  some  moments,  he  discovered  he  was  only  mak- 
ing matters  worse  ;  in  fact,  he  found  that  both  his  eyes 
Hrere  now  completely  "bunged  up,"  and  that  he  was 


A   TIGER    TAKEN    BY   BIRDLIME.  61 

perfectly  blind !  He  felt,  moreover,  that  his  whole 
head,  as  well  as  his  body,  was  now  covered,  even  to  the 
tip  of  his  tail. 

By  this  time,  he  had  lost  all  patience.  He  thought 
no  longer  of  the  venison.  He  thought  only  of  freeing 
himself  from  the  detestable  plight  in  which  he  was 
placed.  He  sprang  and  bounded  over  the  ground; 
now  rubbing  his  head  along  the  surface,  now  scraping 
it  -with  his  huge  paws,  and  ever  and  anon  dashing  him- 
self against  the  stems  of  the  trees  that  grew  around. 
All  this  while,  his  growling,  and  howling,  and  scream- 
ing, filled  the  woods  with  the  most  hideous  noises. 

Up  to  this  crisis,  our  travellers  had  watched  his 
every  movement,  all  of  them  bursting  with  laughter ; 
to  which,  however,  they  dare  not  give  utterance,  lest 
they  might  spoil  the  sport.  At  length,  Ossaroo  knew 
that  the  time  was  come  for  something  more  serious 
than  laughter ;  and,  descending  from  the  tree  with  his 
long  spear,  he  beckoned  the  others  to  follow  with  their 
guns. 

The  shikarree  could  have  approached  and  thrust 
the  tiger,  without  much  danger ;  but,  to  make  sure, 
the  double-barrel,  already  loaded  with  ball,  was  fired 
at  him,  along  with  Caspar's  rifle ;  and  one  of  the  bul- 
lets striking  him  between  the  ribs,  put  an  end  to  hia 
struggles,  by  laying  him  out  upon  the  grass  dead  as  a 
herring. 

Upon  examining  him,  they  found  that  the  fig-leaves 
BO  covered  his  eyes,  as  to  render  him  completely  blind. 
What  prevented  him  from  scratching  them  off  with  his 
huge  claws  was,  that  these  were  so  wrapped  up  in  the 
leafy  envelope  as  to  render  them  perfectly  useless,  and 


62  A   TIGER   TAKEN   BY   BIRDLIME. 

no  longer  dangerous,  had  any  one  engaged  with  him  in 
close  combat. 

When  the  exciting  scene  was  over,  all  of  the  party 
indulged  in  hearty  laughter ;  for  there  was  something 
extremely  ludicrous,  not  only  in  the  idea,  but  in  the 
act  itself ',  of  trapping  a. royal  tiggr  by  so  simple  a  con 
.trivance  as  birdlime. 


A   RARE   RAFT.  63 


CHAPTER  XH. 

A   RARE    RAFT. 

OSSAROO  did  not  fail  to  skin  the  tiger,  and  to  eat  for 
his  supper  a  large  steak,  cut  off  from  his  well-fleshed 
ribs.  The  others  did  not  join  him  in  this  singular 
viand,  although  the  shikarree  assured  them  that  tiger- 
beef  was  far  superior  to  the  venison  of  the  sambur 
deer.  There  may  have  been  truth  in  Ossaroo's  asser-" 
tion ;  for  it  is  well  known,  that  the  flesh  of  several 
kinds  of  carnivorous  animals  is  not  only  palatable,  but 
delicate  eating.  Indeed,  the  delicacy  of  the  meat  does 
not  seem  at  all  to  depend  upon  the  food  of  the  animal ; 
since  no  creature  is  a  more  unclean  feeder  than  the 
domestic  pig,  and  what  is  nicer  or  more  tender  than  a 
bit  of  roast  pork  ?  On  the  other  hand,  many  animals, 
whose  flesh  is  exceedingly  bitter,  feed  only  on  fresh 
grass  or  sweet  succulent  roots  and  plants.  As  a  proof 
of  this,  I  might  instance  the  tapir  of  South  America, 
the  quaggas  and  zebras  of  Africa,  and  even  some  ani- 
mals of  the  deer  and  antelope  tribes,  whose  flesh  is 
only  eatable  in  cases  of  emergency. 

The  same  fact  may  be  observed  in  relation  to  birds. 
Many  birds  of  prey  furnish  a  dish  quite  equal  to  choice 
game.  For  one,  the  flesh  of  the  large  chicken-haw\ 


64  A   RARE   RAFT. 

of 'America  (eaten  and  eagerly  sought  after  by  the 
plantation  negroes)  is  not  much,  if  anything,  inferior  to 
that  of  the  bird  upon  which  it  preys. 

It  was  not  for  the  "meat,"  however,  that  Ossaroo 
stripped  the  tiger  of  his  skin,  but  rather  for  the  skin 
itself;  and  not  so  much  for  the  absolute  value  of  the 
gkin,  for  in  India  that  is  not  great.  Had  it  been  a 
panther  or  leopard  skin,  or  even  the  less  handsome  hide 
of  the  cheetah,  its  absolute  value  would  have  been 
greater.  But  there  was  an  artificial  value  attached  to 
the  skin  of  a  tiger,  and  that  well  knew  the  shikarree. 
He  knew  that  there  was  a  bounty  of  ten  rupees  for 
every  tiger  killed,  and  also  that  to  obtain  this  bounty  it 
was  necessary  to  show  the  skin.  True  it  was  the  East 
India  Company  that  paid  the  bounty,  and  only  for  tigers 
killed  in  their  territory.  This  one  had  not  been  killed 
under  the  British  flag,  but  what  of  that  ?  A  tiger-skin 
was  a  tiger-skin ;  and  Ossaroo  expected,  some  day  not 
distant  to  walk  the  streets  of  Calcutta ;  and,  with  this 
idea  in  his  mind,  he  climbed  up  the  great  banyan,  and 
hid  his  tiger-skin  among  its  topmost  branches,  to  be  left 
there  till  his  return  from  the  mountains. 

The  next  two  days  were  spent  in  the  same  neighbor- 
hood, and  the  plant-hunter  was  very  successful.  The 
seeds  of  many  rare  plants,  some  of  them  quite  new  to 
the  botanical  world,  were  here  obtained,  and  like  the 
skin  of  the  tiger  deposited  in  a  safe  place,  so  that  the 
collectors  might  not  be  burdened  with  them  on  their 
journey  to  the  mountains.  It  was  in  this  way  that  Karl 
had  resolved  upon  making  his  collections,  leaving  the 
seeds  and  nuts  he  should  obtain  at  various  places  upon 
bis  route ;  and,  when  returning,  he  trusted  to  be  able 


A   XARE    RAFT.  65 

to  employ  some  Coolies  to  assist  in  getting  them  carried 
to  Calcutta  or  some  other  sea-port. 

On  the  fourth  day  the  travellers  again  took  the  route, 
still  facing  due  northward  in  the  direction  of  the  moun- 
tains. They  needed  no  guide  to  point  out  their  course, 
as  the  river  which  they  had  resolved  upon  following 
upwards  was  guide  enough ;  usually  they  kept  along 
its  banks,  but  sometimes  a  thick  marshy  jungle  forced 
them  to  abandon  the  water-edge  and  keep  away  for 
some  distance  into  the  back  country,  where  the  path 
was  more  safe  and  open. 

t  About  midday  they  arrived  at  $e  banks  of  a 
stream,  that  was  a  branch  of  the  main  river.  This 
stream  lay  transversely  to  their  route,  and,  of  course, 
had  to  be  crossed.  There  was  neither  bridge  nor 
ford,  nor  crossing  of  any  kind  to  be  seen,  and  the 
current  was  both  wide  and  deep.  They  followed  it  up 
for  more  than  a  mile ;  but  it  neither  grew  shallower 
nor  yet  more  narrow.  They  walked  up  and  down  for 
a  couple  of  hours,  endeavoring  to  find  a  crossing,  but 
to  no  purpose. 

Both  Caspar  and  Ossaroo  were  good  swimmers,  but 
Karl  could  not  swim  a  stroke  ;  and  it  was  entirely  on 
his  account  that  they  stayed  to  search  for  a  ford.  The 
other  two  would  have  dashed  in  at  once,  regardless  of 
the  swift  current.  What  was  to  be  done  with  Karl  ? 
In  such  a  rapid  running  river  it  was  as  much  as  the 
best  swimmer  could  do  to  carry  himself  across  ;  there- 
fore not  one  of  the  others  could  assist  Karl.  How 
then,  were  they  to  get  over  ? 

They  had  seated  themselves  under  a  tree  to  debate 
this  question ;  and  no  doubt  the  habile  Ossaroo  would 


66  A    RARE    RAFT. 

Booif*have  offered  a  solution  to  it,  and  got  the  young 
Sahib  across,  but  at  that  moment  assistance  arrived 
from  a  very  unexpected  quarter. 

There  was  a  belt  of  open  ground — a  sort  of  meadow 
upon  the  side  opposite  to  where  they  were  seated, 
which  was  backed  by  a  jungly  forest. 

Out  of  this  forest  a  man  was  seen  to  emerge,  and 
take  his  way  across  the  meadow  in  the  direction  of  the 
river.  His  swarthy  complexion,  and  bushy  black  hair 
hanging  neglected  over  his  shoulders — his  dress  con- 
sisting of  a  single  blanket-like  robe,  held  by  a  leathern 
belt  around  the  waist — his  bare  legs  and  sandalled  feet  » 
— all  bore  evidence  that  he  was  one  of  the  half-savage 
natives  of  the  Terai. 

His  appearance  created  a  great  sensation,  and  aston- 
ished all  the  party — Ossaroo,  perhaps,  excepted.  It 
was  not  his  wild  look  nor  his  odd  costume  that  produced 
this  astonishment,  for  men  who  have  travelled  in  Hin- 
dostan  are  not  likely  to  be  surprised  by  wild  looks  and 
strange  dresses.  What  astonished  our  travellers — and 
it  would  have  had  a  like  effect  upon  the  most  stoical 
people  in  the  world — was  that  the  individual  who 
approached  was  carrying  a  buffalo  upon  his  back! 
Not  the  quarter  of  a  buffalo,  nor  the  head  of  a  buffalo, 
but  a  whole  one,  as  big,  and  black,  and  hairy,  as  an 
English  bull !  The  back  of  the  animal  lay  against  the 
back  of  the  man,  with  the  head  and  horns  projecting 
over  his  shoulder,  the  legs  sticking  out  behind,  and  the 
tail  dragging  about  his  heels ! 

How  one  man  could  bear  up  under  such  a  load  was 
more  than  our  travellers  could  divine  ;  but  not  only  did 
this  wild  Mech  bear  up  under  it,  but  he  appeared  to 


A    RARE    RAFT.  67 

carry  it  with  ease,  and  stepped  as  lightly  across  the 
meadow  as  if  it  had  been  a  bag  of  feathers  he  was 
carrying ! 

Both  Karl  and  Caspar  uttered  exclamations  of  sur- 
prise, and  rapid  interrogatories  were  put  to  Ossaroo  for 
an  explanation.  Ossaroo  only  smiled  significantly  in 
reply,  evidently  able  to  explain  this  mysterious  phe- 
nomenon ;  but  enjoying  the  surprise  of  his  companions 
too  much  to  offer  a  solution  of  it  as  Icrng  as  he  could 
decorously  withhold  it. 

The  surprise  of  the  boys  was  not  diminished,  when 
another  native  stepped  out  of  the  timber,  buffalo  on 
back,  like  the  first ;  and  then  another  and  another — 
until  half-a-dozen  men,  with  a  like  number  of  buffaloes 
on  their  shoulders,  were  seen  crossing  the  meadows  ! 

Meanwhile  the  foremost  had  reached  the  bank  of  the 
river  ;  and  now  the  astonishment  of  the  botanists 
reached  its.  climax,  when  they  saw  this  man  let  down 
the  huge  animal  from  his  shoulders,  embrace  it  with 
his  arms,  place  it  before  him  in  the  water,  and  then 
mount  astride  upon  its  back !  In  a  moment  more  he 
was  out  in  the  stream,  and  his  buffalo  swimming  under 
him,  or  rather  he  seemed  to  be  pushing  it  along,  using 
his  arms  and  legs  as  paddles  to  impel  it  forward ! 

The  others,  on  reaching  the  water,  acted  in  a  pre- 
cisely similar  manner,  and  the  whole  party  were  soon 
launched,  and  crossing  the  stream  together. 
.  It  was  not  until  the  foremost  Mech  had  arrived  at 
the  bank  close  to  where  our  travellers  awaited  them, 
lifted  his  buffalo  out  of  the  water,  and  reshouldered  it, 
that  the  latter  learned  to  their  surprise  that  what  they 
had  taken  for  buffaloes  were  nothing  more  than  the 
4 


68  A   RARE    RAFT. 

inflated  skins  of  these  animals  that  were  thus  employed 
as  rafts  by  the  rude  but  ingenious  natives  of  the  dis- 
trict ! 

The  same  contrivance  is  used  by  the  inhabitants  of 
the  Punjaub  and  other  parts  of  India,  where  fords  tire 
few  and  bridges  cannot  be  built.  The  buffaloes  are 
skinned,  with  the  legs,  heads,  and  horns  left  on,  to  serve 
as  handles  and  supports  in  managing  them.  They  are 
then  rendered  air-tight  and  inflated,  heads,  legs,  and 
all ;  and  in  this  way  bear  such  a  resemblance  to  the 
animals  from  which  they  have  been  taken,  that  even 
dogs  are  deceived,  and  often  growl  and  bark  at  them. 
Of  course  the  quantity  of  air  is  far  more  than  sufficient 
to  buoy  up  the  weight  of  a  man.  Sometimes,  when 
goods  and  other  articles  are  to  be  carried  across,  several 
skins  are  attached  together,  and  thus  form  an  excellent 
raft. 

This  was  done  upon  the  spot,  and  at  a  moment's 
notice.  The  Mechs,  although  a  half-savage  peonle,  are 
far  from  uncivil  in  their  intercourse  with  strangers.  A 
word  from  Ossaroo,  accompanied  by  a  few  pipes  of 
tobacco  from  the  botanist,  procured  the  desired  raft  of 
buffalo-skins ;  and  our  party,  in  less  than  half-an-hour, 
were  safely  deposited  upon  the  opposite  bank,  and 
allowed  to  continue  their  journey  without  the  slightest 
molestation. 


THE   TALIJEST    GRASS    IN    THE   WORLD.  69 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

THE   TALLEST    GRASS   IN   THE   WORLl). 

As  our  travellers  proceeded  up-stream,  they  were 
occasionally  compelled  to  pass  through  tracts  covered 
with  a  species  of  jungle-grass,  called  "Dab-grass," 
which  riot  only  reached  above  the  heads  of  the  tallest 
of  the  party,  but  would  have  done  so  had  they  been 
giants !  Goliath  or  the  Cyclops  might  have,  either  of 
them,  stood  on  tiptoe  in  a  field  of  this  grass,  without 
being  able  to  look  over  its  tops. 

The^  botanist  was  curious  enough  to  measure  some 
stalks  of  this  gigantic  grass,  and  found  them  full  four- 
teen feet  in  height,  and  as  thick  as  a  man's  finger  near 
the  roots  !  Of  course  no  animal,  except  a  giraffe,  could 
raise  its  head  over  the  tops  of  such  grass  as  this ;  but 
there  are  no  giraffes  in  this  part  of  the  world — these 
long-necked  creatures  being  confined  to  the  Continent 
of  Africa.  Wild"  elephants,  however,  are  found  here; 
and  the  largest  of  them  can  hide  himself  in  the  midst 
of  this  tall  sward,  as  easily  as  a  mouse  would  in  an 
English  meadow. 

But  there  are  other  animals  that  make  their  layer  in 
the  dab-grass.  It  is  a  favorite  haunt  both  of  the  tiger 
and  Indian  lion  ;  and  it  was  not  without  feelings  of  fear 


70  THE    TALLEST    GRASS    IN    THE    WORLD. 

that  our  botanical  travellers  threaded  their  way  amidst 
its  tall  canelike  culms. 

You  will  be  ready  to  admit,  that  the  dab-grass  is  a 
tall  grass.  But  it  is  far  from  being  the  tallest  in  the 
world,  or  in  the  East  Indies  either.  What  think  you 
of  a  grass  nearly  five  times  as  tall  ?  And  yet  in  that 
same  country  such  a  grass  exists.  Yes — there  is  a 
species  of  "  panic-grass,"  the  Panicum  arborescens, 
which  actually  grows  to  the  height  of  fifty  feet,  with  a 
culm  not  thicker  than  an  ordinary  goose-quill !  This 
singular  species  is,  however,  a  climbing  plant,  growing 
up  amidst  the  trees  of  the  forest,  supported  by  their 
branches,  and  almost  reaching  to  their  tops. 

This  panic-grass  you  will,  no  doubt,  fancy  must  be 
the  tallest  grass  in  the  world.  But  no.  Prepare  your- 
self to  hear  that  there  is  still  another  kind,  not  only 
taller  than  this,  but  one  that  grows  to  the  prodigious 
height  of  a  hundred  feet ! 

You  will  guess  what  sort  I  am  about  to  nam^e.  It 
could  be  no  other  than  the  giant  bamboo.  That  is  the 
tallest  grass  in  the  world. 

You  know  the  bamboo  as  a  "  cane  ;  "  but  for  all  that 
it  is  a  true  grass,  belonging  to  the  natural  order  of  gra- 
minetz,  or  grasses,  the  chief  difference  between  it,  and 
many  others  of  the  same  order,  being  its  more  gigantic 
dimensions. 

My  young  reader,  I  may  safely  assert,  that  in  all  the 
vegetable  kingdom  there  is  no  species  or  form  so  valu- 
able to  the  human  race  as  the  "  grasses."  Among  all 
civilized  nations  bread  is  reckoned  as  the  food  of 
primary  importance,  so  much  so  as  to  have  obtained 
the  sobriquet  of  "  the  staff  of  life  ; "  and  nearly  every 


THE    TALLEST    GRASS    IN    THE    WORLD.  71 

sort  of  bread  is  the  production  of  a  grass.  Wheat, 
barley,  oats,  maize,  and  rice,  are  all  grasses ;  and  so, 
too,  is  the  sugarcane — so  valuable  for  its  luxurious  pro- 
duct. It  would  take  up  many  pages  of  our  little  volume 
to  enumerate  the  various  species  of  graminece,  that  con- 
tribute to  the  necessities  and  luxuries  of  mankind  ;  and 
other  pages  might  be  written  about  species  equally 
available  for  the  purposes  of  life,  but  which  have  not 
yet  been  brought  into  cultivation. 

Of  all  kinds  of  grasses,  however,  none  possesses 
greater  interest  than  the  bamboo.  Although  not  the 
most  useful  as  an  article  of  food,  this  noble  plant  serves 
a  greater  number  of  purposes  in  the  economy  of  human 
life,  than  perhaps  any  other  vegetable  in  existence. 

What  the  palm-tree  of  many  species  is  to  the  natives 
of  South  America  or  tropical  Africa,  such  is  the  bam- 
boo to  the  inhabitants  of  Southern  Asia'  and  its  islands. 
It  is  doubtful  whether  nature  has  conferred  upon  these 
people  any  greater  boon  than  this  noble  plant,  the  light 
and  graceful  culms  of  which  are  applied  by  them  to  a 
multitude  of  useful  purposes.  Indeed  so  numerous  are 
the  uses  made  of  the  bamboo,  that  it  would  be  an  elabo- 
rate work  even  to  make  out  a  list  of  them.  A  few  of 
the  purposes  to  which  it  is  applied  will  enable  you  to 
judge  of  the  valuable  nature  of  this  princely  grass. 

The  young  shoots  of  some  species  are  cut  when 
tender,  and  eaten  like  asparagus.  The  full-grown  stems, 
while  green,  form  elegant  cases,  exhaling  a  perpetual 
moisture,  and  capable  of  transporting  fresh  flowers  for 
hundreds  of  miles.  When  ripe  and  hard,  they  are  con- 
verted into  bows,  arrows,  and  quivers,  lance-shafts,  the 
masts  of  vessels,  walking-sticks,  the  poles  of  palanquins, 


72  THE    TALLEST    GRASS    IN    THE    WORLD. 

the  floors  and  supporters  of  bridges,  and  a  variety  of 
similar  purposes.  In  a  growing  state  the  strong  kinds 
are  formed  into  stockades,  which  are  impenetrable  to 
any  thing  but  regular  infantry  or  artillery.  By  notch- 
ing their  sides  the  Malays  make  wonderfully  light  scal- 
ing ladders,  which  can  be  conveyed  with  facility,  where 
heavier  machines  could  not  be  transported.  Bruised 
and  crushed  in  water,  the  leaves  and  stems  form  Chinese 
paper,  the  finer  qualities  of  which  are  only  improved  by 
a  mixture  of  raw  cotton  and  by  more  careful  pounding. 
The  leaves  of  a  small  species  are  the  material  used  by 
the  Chinese  for  the  lining  of  their  tea-chests.  Cut  into 
lengths,  and  the  partitions  knocked  out,  they  form  dur- 
able water-pipes,  or  by  a  little  contrivance  are  made 
into  cases  for  holding  rolls  of  paper.  Slit  into  strips, 
they  afford  a  most  durable  material  for  weaving  into 
mats,  baskets,  window-blinds,  and  even  the  sails  of  boats  ; 
and  the  larger  and  thicker  truncheons  are  carved  by 
the  Chinese  into  beautiful  ornaments.  For  building 
purposes  the  bamboo  is  still  more  important.  In  many 
parts  of  India  the  framework  of  the  houses  of  the  na- 
tives is  chiefly  composed  of  this  material.  In  the  floor- 
ing, whole  stems,  four  or  five  inches  in  diameter,  are 
laid  close  to  each  other,  and  across  these,  laths  of  split 
bamboo,  about  an  inch  wide,  are  fastened  down  by  fila- 
ments of  rattan  cane.  The  sides  of  the-  houses  are 
closed  in  by  the  bamboos  opened  and  rendered  flat  by 
splitting  or  notching  the  circular  joints  on  the  outside, 
chipping  away  the  corresponding  divisions  within,  and 
laying  it  in  the  sun  to  dry,  pressed  down  with  weights. 
Whole  bamboos  often  form  the  upright  timbers,  and  the 
bouse  is  generally  roofed  in  with  a  thatch  of  narrow 


THE    TALLEST    GRASS    IN    THE    WORLD.  73 

split  bamboos,  six  feet  long,  placed  in  regular  layers, 
each  reaching  within  two  feet  of  the  extremity  of  that 
beneath  it,  by  which  a  treble  covering  is  formed.  An- 
other and  most  ingenious  roof  is  also  formed  by  cutting 
large  straight  bamboos  of  sufficient  length  to  reach  from 
the  ridge  to  the  eaves,  then  splitting  them  exactly  in 
two,  knocking  out  the  partitions,  and  arranging  them  in 
close  order  with  the  hollow  or  inner  sides  uppermost ; 
after  which  a  second  layer,  with  the  outer  or  concave 
sides  up,  is  placed  upon  the  other  in  such  a  manner 
that  each  of  the  convex  pieces  falls  into  the  two  con- 
tiguous concave  pieces  covering  their  edges,  thus  serv- 
ing as  gutters  to  carry  off  the  rain  that  falls  on  the 
convex  layer. 

Such  are  a  few  of  the  uses  of  the  bamboo,  enumer- 
ated by  an  ingenious-  writer ;  and  these  are  probably 
not  more  than  one  tenth  of  the  purposes  to  which  thia 
valuable  cane  is  applied  by  the  natives  of  India. 

The  quickness  with  which  the  bamboo  can  be  cut 
and  fashioned  to  any  purpose  is  not  the  least  remark 
able  of  its  properties.  One  of  the  most  distinguished 
of  English  botanists  (Hooker)  relates  that  a  complete 
furnished  house  of  bamboo,  containing  chairs  and  a 
table,  was  erected  by  his  six  attendants  in  the  space  of 
one  hour ! 

Of  the  bamboos  there  are  many  species — perhaps 
fifty  in  all — some  of  them  natives  of  Africa  and  South 
America,  but  the  greater  number  belonging  to  southern 
Asia,  which  is  the  true  home  of  these  gigantic  grasses. 
The  species  differ  in  many  respects  from  each  other— 
eome  of  th^m  being  thick  and  strong,  while  others  are 
light,  tnd  n  \ender,  and  elastic.  In  nothing  do  the  dif- 


74  THE   TALLEST    GRASS    IN    THE    WORLD. 

ferent  species  vary  more  than  in  size.  They  are  found 
growing  of  all  sizes,  from  the  dwarf  bamboo,  as  slender 
as  a  wheat-stalk,  and  only  two  feet  high,  to  the  Bambusa 
maxima,  as  thick  as  a  man's  body,  and  towering  to  the 
height  of  a  hundred  feet ! 


THE    MAN-EATERS.  75 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

• 

THE    MAN-EATERS. 

OSSAROO  had  lived  all  his  life  in  a  bamboo  country, 
and  was  well  acquainted  with  all  its  uses.  Hardly  a 
vessel  or  implement  that  he  could  not  manufacture  of 
bamboo  canes  of  some  kind  or  another,  and  many  a 
purpose  besides  he  knew  how  to  apply  them  to.  Had 
he  been  obliged  to  cross  a  tract  of  country  where  there 
was  no  water,  and  required  a  large  vessel,  or  "  canteen," 
to  carry  a  supply,  he  would  have  made  it  as  follows. 
He  would  have  taken  two  joints  of  bamboo,  each  a 
couple  of  feet  long  and  six  or  seven  inches  in  diameter. 
These  he  would  have  trimmed,  so  that  one  of  the  nodes 
between  the  hollow  spaces  would  serve  as  a  bottom  for 
each.  In  the  node,  or  partition,  at  the  top,  he  would 
have  pierced  a  small  hole  to  admit  the  water,  which 
hole  could  be  closed  by  a  stopper  of  the  pith  of  a  palm 
or  some  soft  wood,  easily  procured  in  the  tropical  forests 
of  India.  In  case  he  could  not  have  found  bamboos 
with  joints  sufficiently  long  for  the  purpose  it  would 
have  mattered  little.  Two  or  more  joints  would  have 
been  taken  for  each  jar,  and  the  partitions  between  them 
broken  through,  so  as  to  admit  the  water  into  the  hollow 

spaces  within.    The  pair  of  "jars"  he  would  have  then 
4* 


76  THE    MAN-EATEKS. 

bound  together  at  a  very  acute  angle — something  after 
the  form  of  the  letter  V — -and  then  to  carry  them  with 
ease  he  would  have  strapped  the  bamboos  to  his  back, 
the  apex  of  the  angle  downwards,  and  one  of  the  ends 
just  peeping  over  each  shoulder.  In  this  way  he  would 
have  provided  himself  with  a  water-vessel  that  for 
strength  and  lightness — the  two  great  essentials — would 
have  l^en  superior  to  anything  that  either  tinker  or 
cooper  could  construct. 

As  it  happened  that  they  were  travelling  through  a 
district  where  there  was  water  at  the  distance  of  every 
mile  or  two,  this  bamboo  canteen  was  not  needed.  A 
single  joint  holding  a  quai;t  was  enough  to  give  any  of 
the  party  a  drink  whenever  they  required  it. 

Now  had  the  Mechs  not  arrived  opportunely  with 
their  rafts  of  inflated  buffalo-skins,  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  Ossaroo  would  have  found  some  mode  of 
crossing  the  stream.  A  proof  that  he  could  have  done 
so  occurred  but  a  few  hours  after,  when  our  travellers 
found  themselves  in  a  similar  dilemma.  This  time  it 
was  the  main  river,  whose  course  they  were  following, 
that  lay  in  the  way.  A  large  bend  had  to  be  got  over, 
else  they  would  have  been  compelled  to  take  a  circuitous 
route  of  many  miles,  and  by  a  path  which  the  guide 
knew  to  be  difficult  on  account  of  some  marshes  that 
intervened. 

Ossaroo  proposed  fording  the  river,  but  how  was 
that  to  be  done?  It  would  be  a  longer  swim  than 
the  other,  and  there  were  no  natives  with  their  skin- 
rafts — at  least  none  were  in  sight.  But  there  grew 
close  by  a  clump  of  noble  bamboos,  and  the  guide 
pointed  to  them. 


THE    MAN-EATERS.  77 

"  Oh  !  you  intend  to  make  a  raft  of  the  canes  ?  "  in- 
quired the  botanist. 

"  Yes,  Sahib,"  replied  the  shikarree. 

"  It  will  take  a  long  time,  I  fear  ?  " 

"  No  fearee,  Sahib ;  half  hour  do." 

Ossaroo  was  as  good  as  his  promise.  In  half-an- 
hour  not  only  one  raft,  but  three — that  is,  a  raft  for 
each — was  constructed  and  ready  to  be  launched.  The 
construction  of  these  was  as  simple  as  it  was  ingenious. 
Each  consisted  of  four  pieces  of  bamboo,  lashed  together 
crossways  with  strips  of  rattan,  so  as  to  form  a  square 
in  the  centre  just  large  enough  to  admit  the  body  of  a 
man.  Of  course,  the  bamboos,  being  hollow  within, 
and  closed  at  both  ends,  had  sufficient  buoyancy  to  sus- 
tain a  man's  weight  above  water,  and  nothing  more  was 
wanted. 

Each  of  the  party  having  adjusted  his  burden  upon 
his  back,  stepped  within  the  square  space,  lifted  the 
framework  in  his  hands,  walked  boldly  into  the  river, 
and  was  soon  floating  out  upon  its  current.  Ossaroo 
had  given  them  instructions  how  to  balance  themselves 
so  as  to  keep  upright,  and  also  how  to  paddle  with  both 
hands  and  feet :  so  that,  after  a  good  deal  of  plashing 
and  spluttering,  and  laughing  and  shouting,  all  three 
arrived  safely  on  the  opposite  bank.  Of  course,  Fritz 
swam  over  without  a  raft. 

As  the  river  had  to  be  re-crossed  on  the  other  arm 
of  the  bend,  each  carried  his  raft  across  the  neck  or 
isthmus,  where  a  similar  fording  was  made,  that  brought 
them  once  more  on  the  path  they  were  following.  Thus 
every  day — almost  every  hour — our  travellers  were 
astonished  by  some  new  feat  of  their  hunter-guide,  and 


78  THE   MAN-EATEBS. 

some  new  purpose  to  which  the  noble  bamboo  could  be 
applied. 

Still  another  astonishment  awaited  them.  Ossaroo 
had  yet  a  feat  in  store,  in  the  performance  of  which  the 
bamboo  was  to  play  a  conspicuous  part ;  and  it  chanced 
that  upon  the  very  next  day,  an  opportunity  occurred 
by  which  the  hunter  was  enabled  to  perform  this  feat  to 
the  great  gratification  not  only  of  his  travelling  com- 
panions, but  to  the  delight  of  a  whole  village  of  natives, 
who  derived  no  little  benefit  from  the  performance. 

I  have  already  said,  that  there  are  many  parts  of 
India  where  the  people  live  in  great  fear  of  the  tigers—- 
as well  as  lions,  wild  elephants,  panthers,  and  rhinoc- 
eroses. These  people  have  no  knowledge  of  proper 
fire-arms.  Some,  indeed,  carry  the  clumsy  matchlock, 
which,  of  course,  is  of  little  or  no  service  in  hunting; 
and  their  bows,  even  with  poisoned  arrows,  are  but 
poor  weapons  when  used  in  an  encounter  with  these 
strong  savage  beasts. 

Often  a  whole  village  is  kept  in  a  state  of  terror  for 
weeks  or  months  by  a  single  tiger  who  may  have  made 
his  lair  in  the  neighborhood,  and  whose  presence  is 
known  by  his  repeated  forays  upon  the  cows,  buffaloes, 
or  other  domesticated  animals  of  the  villagers.  It  is 
only  after  this  state  of  things  has  continued  for  a  length 
of  time,  and  much  loss  has  been  sustained,  that  these 
poor  people,  goaded  to  desperation,  at  length  assemble 
together,  and  risk  an  encounter  with  the  tawny  tyrant. 
In  such  encounters  human  lives  are  frequently  sacri- 
ficed, and  generally  some  one  of  the  party  receives  a 
blow  or  scratch  from  the  tiger's  paw,  which  maims  or 
lames  him  for  the  rest  of  his  days. 


THE    MAN-EATERS.  79 

But  there  is  still  a  worse  case  than  even  this.  Not 
nnfrequently  the  tiger,  instead  of  preying  upon  their 
cattle,  carries  off  one  of  the  natives  themselves ;  and 
where  this  occurs,  the  savage  monster,  if  not  pursued 
and  killed,  is  certain  to  repeat  the  offence.  It  is  strange, 
and  true  as  strange,  that  a  tiger  having  once  fed  upon 
human  flesh,  appears  ever  after  to  be  fonder  of  it  than 
of  any  other  food,  and  will  make  the  most  daring  at- 
tempts to  procure  it.  Such  tigers  are  not  uncommon 
in  India,  where  they  are  known  among  the  natives  by 
the  dreaded  name  of  man-eaters  ! 

It  is  not  a  little  curious  that  the  Caffres  and  other 
natives  of  South  Africa,  apply  the  same  term  to  indi- 
viduals of  the  lion  species,  known  to  be  imbued  with  a 
similar  appetite. 

It  is  difficult  to  conceive  a  more  horrible  monster 
than  a  lion  or  tiger  of  such  tastes  ;  and  in  India,  when 
the  *  presence  of  such  an  one  is  discovered,  the  whole 
neighborhood  lives  in  dread.  Often  when  a  British 
post  is  near,  the  natives  make  application  to  the  officers 
to  assist  them  in  destroying  the  terrible  creature — well 
knowing  that  our  countrymen,  with  their  superior  cour- 
age, with  their  elephants  and  fine  rifles,  are  more  than 
a  match  for  the  jungle  tyrant.  When  no  such  help  is 
at  hand,  the  shikarrees,  or  native  hunters,  usually  as- 
semble, and  either  take  the  tiger  by  stratagem,  or  risk 
their  lives  in  a  bold  encounter.  In  many  a  tiger-hunt 
had  Ossaroo  distinguished  himself,  both  by  stratagem 
and  prowess,  and  there  was  no  mode  of  trapping  or 
killing  a  tiger  that  was  not  known  to  him. 

He  was  now  called  upon  to  give  an  exhibition  of  his 
craft,  which,  in  point  of  ingenuity,  was  almost  equal  to 
vhe  stratagem  of  the  limed  fig-leaves. 


80        THE  DEATH  OF  THE  MAN-EATER. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE   DEATH    OF    THE    MAN-EATER. 

THE  path  which  our  travellers  were  following  led 
them  into  one  of  the  native  villages  of  the  Teriii,  which 
lay  in  a  sequestered  part  of  the  forest.  The  inhabitants 
of  this  village  received  them  with  acclamations  of  joy. 
Their  approach  had  been  reported  before  they  reached 
the  place,  and  a  deputation  of  the  villagers  met  them 
on  the  way,  hailing  them  with  joyful  exclamations  and 
gestures  of  welcome. 

Karl  and  Caspar,Hgnorant  of  the  native  language, 
and,  of  course,  not  comprehending  what  was  said,  were 
for  some  time  at  a  loss  to  understand  the  meaning  of 
these  demonstrations.  Ossaroo  was  appealed  to  to  fur- 
nish an  explanation. 

"  A  man-eater,"  he  said. 

"A  man-eater ! " 

"  Yes,  Sahib  ;  a  man-eater  in  the  jungle." 

This  was  not  sufficiently  explicit.  What  did  Ossaroo 
mean?  A  man-eater  in  the  jungle?  What  sort  of 
creature  was  that?  Neither  Karl  nor  Caspar  had 
ever  heard  of  such  a,  thing  before.  They  questioned 
Ossaroo. 

The  latter  explained  to  them  what  was  a  maii-eater. 


THE  DEATH  OF  THE  MAN-EATER.        81 

It  was  a  tiger  so  called,  as  you  already  know,  on  ac- 
count of  its  preying  upon  human  beings.  This  one 
had  already  killed  and  carried  off  a  man,  a  woman,  and 
two  children,  beside  large  numbers  of  domestic  animals. 
For  more  than  three  months  it  had  infested  the  village, 
and  kept  the  inhabitants  in  a  state  of  constant  alarm.  ' 
Indeed,  several  families  had  deserted  the  place  solely 
through  fear  of  this  terrible  tiger ;  and  those  that  re- 
mained were  in  the  habit,  as  soon  as  night  came  on,  of 
shutting  themselves  up  within  their  houses,  without 
daring  to  stir  out  again  till  morning.  In  the  instance 
of  one  of  the  children,  even  this  precaution  had  not 
served,  for  the  fierce  tiger  had  broken  through  the  frail 
wall  of  bamboos,  and  carried  the  child  off  before  the 
eyes  of  its  afflicted  parents  ! 

Several  times  the  timid  but  incensed  villagers  had 
assembled  and  endeavored  to  destroy  this  terrible  enemy. 
They  had  found  him  each  time  in  his  lair ;  but,  on  ac- 
count of  their  poor  weapons  and -slight  skill  as  hunters, 
he  had  always  been  enabled  to  escape  from  them.  In- 
deed on  such  occasions  the  tiger  was  sure  to  come  off 
victorious,  for  it  was  in  one  of  these  hunts  that  the 
man  had  fallen  a  sacrifice.  Others  of  the  villagers  had 
been  wounded  in  the  different  conflicts  with  this  pest 
of  the  jungle.  With  such  a  neighbor  at  their  doors  no 
wonder  they  had  been  living  in  a  state  of  disquietude 
and  terror. 

But  why  their  joy  at  the  approach  of  our  travellers  ? 

This  was  proudly  explained  by  Ossaroo,  who  of  course 
had  reason  to  be  proud  of  the  circumstance. 

It  appeared  that  the  fame  of  the  shikarree,  as  a 
great  tiger-hunter,  had  preceded  him,  and  his  name 


82        THE  DEATH  OF  THE  MAN-EATER. 

was  known  even  in  the  Terai.  The  villagers  had 
heard  that  he  was  approaching,  accompanied  by  two 
Feringhees,  (so  Europeans  are  called  by  the  natives  of 
India,)  and  they  hoped,  by  the  aid  of  the  noted  shikar- 
ree  and  the  Feringhee  Sahibs,  to  get  rid  of  the  dreaded 
marauder. 

Ossaroo,  thus  appealed  to,  at  once  gave  his  promise  to 
aid  them.  Of  course  the  botanist  made  no  objection, 
and  Caspar  was  delighted  with  the.  idea.  They  were  to 
remain  all  night  at  the  village,  Since  nothing  could  be 
done  before  night.  They  might  have  got  up  a  grand 
battue  to  beat  the  jungle  and  attack  the  tiger  in  his  lair, 
but  what  would  have  come  of  that  ?  Perhaps  the  loss 
of  more  lives.  None  of  the  villagers  cared  to  risk 
themselves  in  such  a  hunt,  and  that  was  not  the  way 
that  Ossaroo  killed  his  tigers. 

Karl  and  Caspar  expected  to  see  their  companion  once 
more  try  his  stratagem  of  the  birdlime  and  the  leaves ; 
and  such  at  first  was  his  intention.  Upon  inquiry,  how- 
ever, he  found  that  no  birdlime  was  to  be  had.  The 
villagers  did  not  know  how  to  prepare  it,  and  there  were 
no  fig-trees  about  the  neighborhood,  nor  holly,  nor 
trees  of  any  other  kind  out  of  which  it  could  properly 
be  made. 

What  was  Ossaroo  to  do  under  these  circumstances  ? 
Must  he  abandon  the  idea  of  destroying  the  man-eater, 
and  leave  the  helpless  villagers  to  their  fate  ?  No.  His 
hunter  pride  would  not  permit  that.  His  name  as  a 
great  shikarree  was  at  stake.  Besides,  his  humanity  was 
touched — for,  although  but  a  poor  Hindoo,  he  possessed 
the  common  feelings  of  our  nature.  Karl  and  Caspar, 
moreover,  had  taken  an  interest  in  the  thing,  and  urged 


THE  DEATH  OF  THE  MAN-EATER.     *   83 

him  to  do  his  best,  promising  him  all  the  assistance  it 
was  in  their  power  to  give. 

It  was  resolved,  therefore,  that,  cost  what  it  might, 
the  tiger  should  be  destroyed. 

Ossaroo  had  other  resources  besides  the  birdlime  and 
the  battue,  and  he  at  once  set  to  work  to  prepare  his 
plan.  He  had  an  ample  stock  of  attendants,  as  the  vil- 
lagers worked  eagerly  and  ran  hither  and  thither  obedi- 
ent to  his  nod.  In  front  of  the  village  there  was  a  piece 
of  open  ground.  This  was  the  scene  of  operations. 

Ossaroo  first  commanded  four  large  posts  to  be  brought, 
and  set  in  the  ground  in  a  quadrangle  of  about  eight 
feet  in  length  and  width.  These  posts  when  sunk  firmly 
in  their  place  stood  full  eight  feet  in  height,  and  each 
had  a  fork  at  the  top.  On  these  forks  four  strong  beams 
were  placed  horizontally,  and  then  firmly  lashed  with 
rawhide  thongs.  Deep  trenches  were  next  dug  from 
post  to  post,  and  in  these  were  planted  rows  of  strong 
bamboos  four  inches  apart  from  each  other — the  bam- 
boos themselves  being  about  four  inches  in  thickness. 
The  earth  was  then  filled  in,  and  trodden  firmly,  so  as 
to  render  the  uprights  immovable.  A  tier  of  similar 
bamboos  was  next  laid  horizontally  upon  the  top,  the 
ends  of  which,  interlocking  with  those  that  stood  up- 
right, held  the  latter  in  their  places.  Both  were  securely 
lashed  to  the  frame  timbers — that  had  been  notched  for 
the  purpose — and  to  one  another,  and  then  the  structure 
was  complete.  It  resembled  an  immense  cage  with 
smooth  yellow  rods,  each  four  inches  in  diameter.  The 
door  alone  was  wanting,  but  it  was  not  desirable  to  have 
a  door.  Although  it  was  intended  for  a  "  trap  cage," 
the  "  bird  "  for  which  it  had  been  constructed  was  not  to 
be  admitted  to  the  inside. 


81   %    THE  DEATH  OF  THE  MAN-EATER. 

Ossaroo  now  called  upon  the  villagers  to  provide  him 
with  a  goat  that  had  lately  had  kids,  and  whose  young 
were  still  living.  This  was  easily  procured.  Still 
another  article  he  required,  but  both  it  and  the  goat  had 
been  "  bespoke  "  at  an  earlier  hour  of  the  day,  and  were 
waiting  his  order?.  This  last  was  the  skin  of  a  buffalo, 
such  a  one  as  we  have  already  seen  used  by  these  people 
in  crossing  their  rivers. 

When  all  these  things  had  been  got  ready  it  was  near 
night,  and  no  time  was  lost  in  waiting.  With  the  help 
of  the  villagers  Ossaroo  was  speedily  arrayed  in  the  skin 
of  the  buffalo,  his  arms  and  limbs  taking  the  place  of 
the  animal's  legs,  with  the  head  and  horns  drawn  over 
him  like  a  hood,  so  that  his  eyes  were  opposite  the  holes 
in  the  skin. 

Thus  metamorphosed,  Ossaroo  entered  the  bamboo 
cage,  taking  the  goat  along  with  him.  The  stake,  that 
had  been  kept  out  for  the  purpose  of  admitting  them 
within  the  enclosure,  was  now  set  into  its  place  as  firmly 
as  the  others ;  and  this  done,  the  villagers,  with  Karl 
and  Caspar,  retired  to  their  houses,  and  left  the  shikar- 
ree  and  his  goat  to  themselves. 

A  stranger  passing  the  spot  would  have  had  no  other 
thoughts  than  that  the  cage-like  enclosure  contained  a 
buffalo  and  a  goat.  On  closer  examination  it  might 
have  been  perceived  that  this  buffalo  held,  grasped 
firmly  in  its  fore-hoofs,  a  strong  bamboo  spear ;  and  that 
was  all  that  appeared  odd  about  it — for  it  was  lying 
down  like  any  other  buffalo,  with  the  goat  standing  be- 
side it. 

The  sun  had  set,  and  night  was  now  on.  The  villa- 
gers had  put  out  their  lights,  and,  shut  up  within  their 


THE  DEATH  OF  THE  MAN-EATER.     *  85 

houses,  were  waiting  in  breathless  expectation.  Ossaroo 
on  his  part,  was  equally  anxious — not  from  the  fear  of 
any  danger,  for  he  had  secured  himself  against  that. 
He  was  only  anxious  for  the  approach  of  the  man-eater, 
in  order  that  he  might  have  the  opportunity  to  exhibit 
the  triumph  of  his  hunter-skill. 

He  was  not  likely  to  be  disappointed.  The  villagers 
had  assured  him  that  the  fierce  brute  was  in  the  habit 
of  paying  them  a  nightly  visit,  arid  prowling  around  the 
place  for  hours  together.  It  was  only  when  he  had 
eucceeded  in  carrying  off  some  of  their  cattle  that  he 
would  be  absent  for  days — no  doubt  his  hunger  being 
for  the  time  satiated ;  but  as  he  had  not  lately  made  a 
capture,  they  looked  for  a  visit  from  him  on  that  very 
night. 

If  the  tiger  should  come  near  the  .village,  Ossaroo  had 
no  fear  that  he  could  attract  him  to  the  spot.  He  had 
laid  his  decoy  too  well  to  fail  in  this.  The  goat,  de- 
prived of  her  young,  kept  up  an  incessant  bleating,  and 
the  kids  answered  her  from  one  of  the  houses  of  the 
village.  As  the  hunter  knew  from  experience  that  the 
tiger  has  a  particular  relish  for  goat-venison,  he  had  no 
fear  but  that  the  voice  of  the  animal  would  attract  him 

| 

to  the  spot,  provided  he  came  near  enough  to  hear  "it. 
In  this  the  villagers  assured  him  he  would  not  be  dis- 
appointed. 

He  was  not  disappointed  ;  neither  was  he  kept  long 
in  suspense.  He  had  not  been  more  than  half-an-hour 
in  his  buffalo  disguise,  before  a  loud  growling  on  the 
edge  of  the  forest  announced  the  approach  of  the  dreaded 
man-eater,  and  caused  the  goat  to  spring  wildly  about 
in  the  enclosure,  uttering  at  intervals  the  most  piercing 
*,ries. 


86  *      THE  DEATH  OF  THE  MAN-EATER. 

This  was  just  what  Ossaroo  wanted.  The  tiger, 
hearing  the  voice  of  the  goat,  needed  no  further  invita- 
tion ;  but  in  a  few  moments  was  seen  trotting  boldly  up 
to  the  spot.  There  was  no  crouching  on  the  part  of  the 
terrible  brute.  He  had  been  too  long  master  there  to 
fear  anything  he  might  encounter,  and  he  stood  in  need 
of  a  supper.  The  goat  that  he  had  heard  would  be 
just  the  dish  he  should  relish ;  and  he  had  determined 
on  laying  his  claws  upon  her  without  more  ado.  In 
another  moment  he  stood  within  ten  feet  of  the  cage ! 

The  odd-looking  structure  puzzled  him,  and  he  halted 
to  survey  it.  Fortunately  there  was  a  moon,  and  the 
light  not  only  enabled  the  tiger  to  see  what  the  cage 
contained,  but  it  also  gave  Ossaroo  an  opportunity  of 
watching  all  his  movements. 

"  Of  course,"  thought  the  tiger.  "  it's  an  enclosure 
some  of  these  simple  villagers  have  put  up  to  keep  that 
goat  and  buffalo  from  straying  off  into  the  woods  ;  likely 
enough,  too,  to  keep  me  from  getting  at  them.  Well, 
they  appear  to  have  been  very  particular  about  the 
building  of  it.  We  shall  see  if  they  have  made  the 
walls  strong  enough." 

With  these  reflections  he  drew  near,  and  rearing  up- 
ward caught  one  of  the  bamboos  in  his  huge  paw,  and 
shook  it  with  violence.  The  cane,  "strong  as  a  bar  of 
iron,  refused  to  yield  even  to  the  strength  of  a  tiger ; 
and,  on  finding  this,  the  fierce  brute  ran  rapidly  round 
the  enclosure,  trying  it  at  various  places,  and  searching 
for  an  entrance. 

There  was  no  entrance,  however  ;  and  on  perceiving 
that  there  was  none,  the  tiger  endeavored  to  get  at  the 
goat  by  inserting  his  paws  between  the  bamboos.  The 


THE  DEATH  OF  THE  MAN-EATER.        87 

goat,  however,  ran  frightened  and  screaming  to  the  oppo- 
site side,  and  so  kept  out  of  the  way.  It  would  have 
served  the  tiger  equally  well  to  have  laid  his  claws  upon 
the  buffalo,  but  this  animal  very  prudently  remained 
near  the  centre  of  the  enclosure,  and  did  not  appear 
to  be  so  badly  scared  withal.  No  doubt  the  coolness 
of  the  buffalo  somewhat  astonished  the  tiger,  but  in 
his  endeavors  to  capture  the  goat,  he  did  not  stop  to 
show  his  surprise,  but  ran  round  and  round,  now  dash' 
ing  forcibly  against  the  bamboos,  and  now  reaching 
his  paws  between  them  as  far  as  his  fore-legs  would 
stretch. 

All  at  once  the  buffalo  was  seen  to  rush  towards  him, 
and  the  tiger  was  in  great  hopes  of  being  able  to  reach 
the  latter  with  his  claws,  when,  to  his  astonishment,  he 
felt  some  hard  instrument  strike  sharply  against  his 
snout,  and  rattle  upon  his  teeth,  while  the  fire  flew  from 
his  eyes  at  the  concussion.  Of  course  it  was  the  horn 
of  the  buffalo  that  had  done  this ;  and  now,  rendered 
furious  by  the  pain,  the  tiger  forgot  all  about  the  goat, 
and  turned  his  attention  towards  revenging  himself  upon 
the  animal  who  had  wounded  him.  Several  times  he 
launched  himself  savagely  against  the  bamboos,  but  the 
canes  resisted  all  his  strength.  Just  then  it  occurred  to 
him  that  he  might  effect  an  entrance  by  the  top,  and 
with  one  bound  he  sprang  upon  the  roof  of  the  enclosure. 
This  was  just  what  the  buffalo  wished,  and  the  broad 
white  belly  of  his  assailant  stretched  along  the  open 
framework  of  bamboos,  was  now  a  fair  mark  for  that 
terrible  horn.  Like  a  gleam  of  lightning  it  entered  be- 
tween his  ribs ;  the  red  blood  spouted  forth,  the  huge 
man-eater  screamed  fiercely  as  he  felt  the  deadly  stab, 


88        THE  DEATH  OF  THE  MAN-EATER. 

and  then,  struggling  for  a  few  minutes,  his  enormous 
body  lay  stretched  across  the  rack  silent, — motionless, — • 
dead! 

A  signal  whistle  from  Ossaroo  soon  brought  the  vil- 
lagers upon  the  spot.  The  shikarree  and  the  goat  were 
set  free.  The  carcass  of  the  man-eater  was  dragged 
into  the  middle  of  the  village  amidst  shouts  of  triumph, 
and  the  rest  of  the  night  was  devoted  to  feasting  and 
rejoicing.  The  "  freedom  of  the  city "  was  offered  to 
Ossaroo  and  his  companions,  and  every  hospitality  lav- 
ished upon  them  that  the  grateful  inhabitants  knew  how 
to  bestow. 


KARL'S  ADVENTURE.  89 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

KARL'S  ADVENTURE  WITH  THE  LONG-LIPPED  BEAR. 

NEXT  morning  they  were  en  route  at  an  early  hour ; 
and  having  passed  through  some  cultivated  fields,  they 
once  more  entered  the  wild  primeval  forest  which  covers 
most  of  the  hills  and  valleys  of  the  Terai. 

Their  road  during  the  whole  day  was  a  series  of 
ascents  and  descents,  now  running  along  the  bed  of  a 
stream ;  now  upon  its  high  bank,  anon  over  some  pro- 
jecting ridge,  and  at  intervals  crossing  the  stream,  some- 
times by  fording,  and  once  or  twice  by  natural  bridges 
formed  by  the  long  trailing  roots  of  various  species  of 
fig-trees. 

Although  they  were  gradually  ascending  to  a  higher 
elevation,  the  vegetation  was  still  of  a  tropical  character. 
Pothos  plants,  and  broad-leaved  arums,  bamboos,  wild 
plantains,  and  palms,  were  seen  all  along  the  way,  while 
lovely  orchidaceous  flowers,  —  epiphytes  and  trailing 
plants, — hung  down  from  the  trunks  and  branches  of 
the  great  trees,  forming  festoons  and  natural  trellis-work, 
that  stretched  across  the  path  and  almost  closed  it  up. 

That  was  a  busy  day  for  the  botanical  collector. 
Many  rare  species  were  found  in  seed,  and  he  gathered 
a  load  for  all  three,  to  be  carried  on  to  their  halting 


90  KARL'S  ADVENTURE  WITH 

place,  and  stored  until  their  return  from  the  mountains. 
Those  species  that  were  yet  only  in  flower  he  noted 
down  in  his  memorandum-book.  They  would  be  ripe 
for  him  on  his  way  back. 

About  noon  they  halted  to  refresh  themselves.  The 
spot  they  had  chosen  was  in  a  grove  of  purple  mag- 
nolias, w4iose  splendid  flowers  were  in  full  bloom,  and 
scented  the  air  around  with  •  their  sweet  perfume.  A 
crystal  stream, — a  mere  rivulet, — trickled  in  its  deep 
bed  through  the  midst  of  the  grove,  and  the  movement 
of  its  waters  seemed  to  produce  a  refreshing  coolness  in 
the  surrounding  atmosphere. 

They  had  just  unbuckled  their  packs,  intending  to 
lunch,  and  remain  an  hour  or  so  on  the  ground,  when 
gome  animal  was  heard  moving  among  the  bushes  on 
the  other  side  of  the  rivulet. 

Caspar  and  Ossaroo,  ever  ready  for  the  chase,  imme- 
diately seized  their  weapons  ;  and,  crossing  the  stream, 
went  in  search  of  the  animal,  which  they  supposed 
would  turn  out  to  be  a  deer.  Karl,  therefore,  was  left 
by  himself. 

Now  Karl  felt  very  much  jaded.  He  had  worked 
hard  in  gathering  his  seeds,  and  nuts,  and  drupes,  and 
berries,  and  pericarps,  and  he  felt  quite  done  up,  and 
had  some  thoughts  of  remaining  upon  that  spot  for  the 
night.  Before  giving  up,  however,  he  determined  to 
try  a  refreshing  medicine,  which  he  had  brought  with 
him,  and  in  which  he  had  been  taught  to  have  great 
faith.  This  medicine  was  nothing  more  than  a  bottle 
of  hot  peppers  pickled  in  vinegar,  which  Karl  had  been 
told  by  a  friend  was  one  of  the  finest  remedies  for  fatigue 
that  could  be  found  in  the  world, — in  fact,  the  sovereign 


A    RARE    RAFT.  67 

carry  it  with  ease,  and  stepped  as  lightly  across  the 
meadow  as  if  it  had  been  a  bag  of  feathers  he  was 
carrying ! 

Both  Karl  and  Caspar  uttered  exclamations  of  sur- 
prise, and  rapid  interrogatories  were  put  to  Ossaroo  for 
an  explanation.  Ossaroo  only  smiled  significantly  in 
reply,  evidently  able  to  explain  this  mysterious  phe- 
nomenon ;  but  enjoying  the  surprise  of  his  companions 
too  much  to  offer  a  solution  of  it  as  long  as  he  could 
decorously  withhold  it. 

The  surprise  of  the  boys  was  not  diminished,  when 
another  native  stepped  out  of  the  timber,  buffalo  on 
back,  like  the  first ;  and  then  another  and  another — 
until  half-a-dozen  men,  with  a  like  number  of  buffaloes 
on  their  shoulders,  were  seen  crossing  the  meadows  ! 

Meanwhile  the  foremost  had  reached  the  bank  of  the 
river  ;  and  now  the  astonishment  of  the  botanists 
reached  its  climax,  when  they  saw  this  man  let  down 
the  huge  animal  from  his  shoulders,  embrace  it  with 
his  arms,  place  it  before  him  in  the  water,  and  then 
mount  astride  upon  its  back  !  In  a  moment  more  he 
was  out  in  the  stream,  and  his  buffalo  swimming  under 
him,,  or  rather  he  seemed  to  be  pushing  it  along,  using 
his  arms  and  legs  as  paddles  to  impel  it  forward ! 

The  others,  on  reaching  the  water,  acted  in  a  pre- 
cisely similar  manner,  and  the  whole  party  were  soon 
launched,  and  crossing  the  stream  together. 

It  was  not  until  the  foremost  Mech  had  arrived  at 
the  bank  close  to  where  our  travellers  awaited  them, 
lifted  his  buffalo  out  of  the  water,  and  reshouldered  it, 
that  the  latter  learned  to  their  surprise  that  what  they 
had  taken  for  buffaloes  were  nothing  more  than  the 


68  A   RARE    RAFT. 

inflated  skins  of  these  animals  that  were  thus  employed 
as  rafts  by  the  rude  but  ingenious  natives  of  the  dis- 
trict ! 

The  same  contrivance  is  used  by  the  inhabitants  of 
the  Punjaub  and  other  parts  of  India,  where  fords  are 
few  and  bridges  cannot  be  built.  The  buffaloes  are 
skinned,  with  the  legs,  heads,  and  horns  left  on,  to  serve 
as  handles  and  supports  in  managing  them.  They  are 
then  rendered  air-tight  and  inflated,  heads,  legs,  and 
all ;  and  in  this  way  bear  such  a  resemblance  to  the 
animals  from  which  they  have  been  taken,  that  even 
dogs  are  deceived,  and  often  growl  and  bark  at  them. 
Of  course  the  quantity  of  air  is  far  more  than  sufficient 
to  buoy  up  the  weight  of  a  man.  Sometimes,  when 
goods  and  other  articles  are  to  be  carried  across,  several 
skins  are  attached  together,  and  thus  form  an  excellent 
raft. 

This  was  done  upon  the  spot,  and  at  a  moment's 
notice.  The  Mechs,  although  a  half-savage  people,  are 
far  from  uncivil  in  their  intercourse  with  strangers.  A 
word  from  Ossaroo,  accompanied  by  a  few  pipes  of 
tobacco  from  the  botanist,  procured  the  desired  raft  of 
buffalo-skins ;  and  our  party,  in  less  than  half-an-hour, 
were  safely  deposited  upon  the  opposite  bank,  and 
allowed  to  continue  their  journey  without  the  slightest 
molestation. 


THE   TALIJEST    GRASS    IN    THE   WORLD.  69 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

THE   TALLEST    GRASS    IN   THE    WORLD. 

As  our  travellers  proceeded  up-stream,  they  were 
occasionally  compelled  to  pass  through  tracts  covered 
with  a  species  of  jungle-grass,  called  "Dab-grass," 
which  not  only  reached  above  the  heads  of  the  tallest 
of  the  party,  but  would  have  done  so  had  they  been 
giants !  Goliath  or  the  Cyclops  might  have,  either  of 
them,  stood  on  tiptoe  in  a  field  of  this  grass,  without 
being  able  to  look  over  its  tops. 

The  botanist  was  curious  enough  to  measure  some 
stalks  of  this  gigantic  grass,  and  found  them  full  four- 
teen feet  in  height,  and  as  thick  as  a  man's  finger  near 
the  roots  !  Of  course  no  animal,  except  a  giraffe,  could 
raise  its  head  over  the  tops  of  such  grass  as  this  j  but 
there  are  no  giraffes  in  this  part  of  the  world — these 
long-necked  creatures  being  confined  to  the  Continent 
of  Africa.  Wild  elephants,  however,  are  found  here ; 
and  the  largest  of  them  can  hide  himself  in  the  midst 
of  this  tall  sward,  as  easily  as  a  mouse  would  in  an 
English  meadow. 

But  there  are  other  animals  that  make  their  layer  in 
the  dab-grass.  It  is  a  favorite  haunt  both  of  the  tiger 
and  Indian  lion ;  and  it  was  not  without  feelings  of  fear 


70  THE    TALLEST    GRASS    IN    THE    WORLD. 

that  our  botanical  travellers  threaded  their  way  amidst 
its  tall  canelike  culms. 

You  will  be  ready  to  admit,  that  the  dab-grass  is  a 
tall  grass.  But  it  is  far  from  being  the  tallest  in  the 
world,  or  in  the  East  Indies  either.  What  think  you 
of  a  grass  nearly  five  times  as  tall  ?  And  yet  in  that 
same  country  such  a  grass  exists.  Yes — there  is  a 
species  of  "panic-grass,"  the  Panicum  arborescens, 
which  actually  grows  to  the  height  of  fifty  feet,  with  a 
culm  not  thicker  than  an  ordinary  goose-quill !  This 
singular  species  is,  however,  a  climbing  plant,  growing 
up  amidst  the  trees  of  the  forest,  supported  by  their 
branches,  and  almost  reaching  to  their  tops. 

This  panic-grass  you  will,  no  doubt,  fancy  must  be 
the  tallest  grass  in  the  world.  But  no.  Prepare  your- 
self to  hear  that  there  is  still  another  kind,  not  only 
taller  than  this,  but  one  that  grows  to  the  prodigious 
height  of  a  hundred  feet ! 

You  will  guess  what  sort  I  am  about  to  name.  It 
could  be  no  other  than  the  giant  bamboo.  That  is  the 
tallest  grass  in  the  world. 

You  know  the  bamboo  as  a  "  cane  ;  "  but  for  all  that 
it  is  a  true  grass,  belonging  to  the  natural  order  of  gra- 
minetz,  or  grasses,  the  chief  difference  between  it,  and 
many  others  of  the  same  order,  being  its  more  gigantic 
dimensions. 

My  young  reader,  I  may  safely  assert,  that  in  all  the 
vegetable  kingdom  there  is  no  species  or  form  so  valu- 
able to  the  human  race  as  the  "  grasses."  Among  all 
civilized  nations  bread  is  reckoned  as  the  food  of 
primary  importance,  so  much  so  as  to  have  obtained 
the  sobriquet  of  "  the  staff  of  life  ;  "  and  nearly  every 


THE    TALLEST    GRASS    IN    THE    WORLD.  71 

sort  of  bread  is  the  production  of  a  grass.  Wheat, 
barjey,  oats,  maize,  and  rice,  are  all  grasses ;  and  so, 
too,  is  t]ie  sugarcane — so  valuable  for  its  luxurious  pro- 
duct. It  would  take  up  many  pages  of  our  little  volume- 
to  enumerate  the  various  species  of  graminece,  that  con- 
tribute to  the  necessities  and  luxuries  of  mankind  ;  and 
other  gages  might  be  written  about  species  equally 
available  for  the  purposes  of  life,  but  which  have  not 
yet  been  brought  into  cultivation. 

Of  all  kinds  of  grasses,  however,  none  possesses 
greater  interest  than  the  bamboo.  Although  not  the 
most  useful  as  an  article  of  food,  this  noble  plant  serves 
a  greater  number  of  purposes  in  the  economy  of  human 
life,  than  perhaps  any  other  vegetable  in  existence. 

What  the  palm-tree  of  many  species  is  to  the  natives 
of  South  America  or  tropical  Africa,  such  is  the  bam- 
boo to  the  inhabitants  of  Southern  Asia  and  its  islands. 
It  is  doubtful  whether  nature  has  conferred  upon  these 
people  any  greater  boon  than  this  noble  plant,  the  light 
and  graceful  culms  of  which  are  applied  by  them  to  a 
multitude  of  useful  purposes.  Indeed  so  numerous  are 
the  uses  made  of  the  bamboo,  that  it  would  be  an  elabo- 
rate work  even  to  make  out  a  list  of  them.  A  few  of 
the  purposes  to  which  it  is  applied  will  enable  you  to 
judge  of  the  valuable  nature  of  this  princely  grass. 

The  young  shoots  of  some  species  are  cut  when 
tender,  and  eaten  like  asparagus.  The  full-grown  stems, 
while  green,  form  elegant  cases,  exhaling  a  perpetual 
moisture,  and  capable  of  transporting  fresh  flowers  for 
hundreds  of  miles.  When  ripe  and  hard,  they  are  eon- 
verted  into  bows,  arrows,  and  quivers,  lance-shafts,  the 
masts  of  vessels,  walking-sticks,  the  poles  of  palanquins, 


72  THE    TALLEST    GRASS    IN    THE    WORLD. 

the  floors  and  supporters  of  bridges,  and  a  variety  of 
similar  purposes.  In  a  growing  state  the  strong  kinds 
are  formed  into  stockades,  which  are  impenetrable  to 
any  thing  but  regular  infantry  or  artillery.  By  notch- 
ing their  sides  the  Malays  make  wonderfully  light  scal- 
ing ladders,  which  can  be  conveyed  with  facility,  where 
heavier  machines  could  not  be  transported.  Bruised 
and  crushed  in  water,  the  leaves  and  stems  form  Chinese 
paper,  the  finer  qualities  of  which  are  only  improved  by 
a  mixture  of  raw  cotton  and  by  more  careful  pounding. 
The  leaves  of  a  small  species  are  the  material  used  by 
the  Chinese  for  the  lining  of  their  tea-chests.  Cut  into 
lengths,  and  the  partitions  knocked  out,  they  form  dur- 
able water-pipes,  or  by  a  little  contrivance  are  made 
into  cases  for  holding  rolls  of  paper.  Slit  into  strips, 
they  afford  a  most  durable  material  for  weaving  into 
mats,  baskets,  window-blinds,  and  even  the  sails  of  boats  ; 
and  the  larger  and  thicker  truncheons  are  carved  by 
/.he  Chinese  into  beautiful  ornaments.  For  building 
purposes  the  bamboo  is  still  more  important.  In  many 
parts  of  India  the  framework  of  the  houses  of  the  na- 
tives is  chiefly  composed  of  this  material.  In  the  floor- 
ing, whole  stems,  four  or  five  inches  in  diameter,  are 
laid  close  to  each  other,  and  across  these,  laths  of  split 
bamboo,  about  an  inch  wide,  are  fastened  down  by  fila- 
ments of  rattan  cane.  The  sides  of  the  houses  are 
closed  in  by  the  bamboos  opened  and  rendered  flat  by 
splitting  or  notching  the  circular  joints  on  the  outside, 
chipping  away  the  corresponding  divisions  within,  and 
laying  it  in  the  sun  to  dry,  pressed  down  with  weights. 
Whole  bamboos  often  form  the  upright  timbers,  and  the 
bouse  is  generally  roofed  in  with  a  thatch  of  narrow 


THE    TALLEST    GRASS    IN    THE    WORLD.  73 

split  bamboos,  six  feet  long,  placed  in  regular  layers, 
each  reaching  within  two  feet  of  the  extremity  of  that 
beneath  it,  by  which  a  treble  covering  is  formed.  An- 
other and  most  ingenious  roof  is  also  formed  by  cutting 
large  straight  bamboos  of  sufficient  length  to  reach  from 
the  ridge  to  the  eaves,  then  splitting  them  exactly  in 
two,  knocking  out  the  partitions,  and  arranging  them  in 
close  order  with  the  hollow  or  inner  sides  uppermost ; 
after  which  a  second  layer,  with  the  outer  or  concave 
sides  up,  is  placed  upon  the  other  in  such  a  manner 
that  each  of  the  convex  pieces  falls  into  the  two  con- 
tiguous concave  pieces  covering  their  edges,  thus  serv- 
ing as  gutters  to  carry  off  the  rain  that  falls  on  the 
convex  layer. 

Such  are  a  few  of  the  uses  of  the  bamboo,  enumer- 
ated by  an  ingenious  writer ;  and  these  are  probably 
not  more  than  one  tenth  of  the  purposes  to  which  this 
valuable  cane  is  applied  by  the  natives  of  India. 

The  quickness  with  which  the  bamboo  can  be  cut 
and  fashioned  to  any  purpose  is  not  the  least  remark 
able  of  its  properties.  One  of  the  most  distinguished 
of  English  botanists  (Hooker)  relates  that  a  complete 
furnished  house  of  bamboo,  containing  chairs  and  a 
table,  was  erected  by  his  six  attendants  in  the  space  of 
one  hour ! 

Of  the  bamboos  there  are  many  species — perhaps 
fifty  in  all — some  of  them  natives  of  Africa  and  South 
America,  but  the  greater  number  belonging  to  southern 
Asia,  which  is  the  true  home  of  these  gigantic  grasses. 
The  species  differ  in  many  respects  from  each  other- 
some  of  th^m  being  thick  and  strong,  while  others  are 
light,  *n<3  r\ender,  and  elastic.  In  nothing  do  the  dif- 


74  THE   TALLEST    GRASS    IN    THE    WORLD. 

ferent  species  vary  more  than  in  size.  They  are  found 
growing  of  all  sizes,  from  the  dwarf  bamboo,  as  slender 
as  a  wheat-stalk,  and  only  two  feet  high,  to  the  Bambusa 
maxima,  as  thick  as  a  man's  body,  and  towering  to  the 
height  of  a  hundred  feet ! 


THE    MAN-EATERS. 


75 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE   MAN-EATERS. 

OSSAROO  had  lived  all  his  life  in  a  bamboo  country, 
and  was  well  acquainted  with  all  its  uses.  Hardly  a 
vessel  or  implement  that  he  could  not  manufacture  of 
bamboo  canes  of  some  kind  or  another,  and  many  a  - 
purpose  besides  he  knew  how  to  apply  them  to.  Had 
he  been  obliged  to  cross  a  tract  of  country  where  there 
was  no  water,  and  required  a  large  vessel,  or  "  canteen," 
to  carry  a  supply,  he  would  have  made  it  as  follows. 
He  would  have  taken  two  joints  of  bamboo,  each  a 
couple  of  feet  long  and  six  or  seven  inches  in  diameter. 
These  he  would  have  trimmed,  so  that  one  of  the  nodes 
between  the  hollow  spaces  would  serve  as  a  bottom  for 
each.  In  the  node,  or  partition,  at  the  top,  he  would 
have  pierced  a  small  hole  to  admit  the  water,  which 
hole  could  be  closed  by  a  stopper  of  the  pith  of  a  palm 
or  some  soft  wood,  easily  procured  in  the  tropical  forests 
of  India.  In  case  he  could  not  have  found  bamboos 
with  joints  sufficiently  long  for  the  purpose  it  would 
have  mattered  little.  Two  or  more  joints  would  have 
been  taken  for  each  jar,  and  the  partitions  between  them 
broken  through,  so  as  to  admit  the  water  into  the  hollow 

spaces  within.    The  pair  of  "jars"  he  would  have  then 
4* 


6  THE    MAN-EATERS. 

bound  together  at  a  very  acute  angle — something  after 
the  form  of  the  letter  V — and  then  to  carry  them  with 
ease  he  would  have  strapped  the  bamboos  to  his  back, 
the  apex  of  the  angle  downwards,  and  one  of  the  ends 
just  peeping  over  each  shoulder.  In  this  way  he  would 
have  provided  himself  with  a  water-vessel  that  for 
strength  and  lightness — the  two  great  essentials — would 
have  been  superior  to  anything  that  either  tinker  or 
cooper  could  construct. 

As  it  happened  that  they  were  travelling  through  a 
distiict  where  there  was  water  at  the  distance  of  every 
mile  or  two,  this  bamboo  canteen  was  not  needed.  A 
single  joint  holding  a  quart  was  enough  to  give  any  of 
the  party  a  drink  whenever  they  required  it. 

Now  had  the  Mechs  not  arrived  opportunely  with 
their  rafts  of  inflated  buffalo-skins,  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  Ossaroo  would  have  found  some  mode  of 
crossing  the  stream.  A  proof  that  he  could  have  done 
so  occurred  but  a  few  hours  after,  when  our  travellers 
found  themselves  in  a  similar  dilemma.  This  time  it 
was  the  main  river,  whose  course  they  were  following, 
that  lay  in  the  way.  A  large  bend  had  to  be  got^over, 
else,  they  would  have  been  compelled  to  take  a  circuitous 
route  of  many  miles,  and  by  a  path  which  the  guide 
knew  to  be  difficult  on  account  of  some  marshes  that 
intervened. 

Ossaroo  proposed  fording  the  river,  but  how  was 
that  to  be  done?  It  would  be  a  longer  swim  than 
the  other,  and  there  were  no  natives  with  their  skin- 
rafts — at  least  none  were  in  sight.  But  there  grew 
close  by  a  clump  of  noble  bamboos,  and  the  guide 
pointed  to  them. 


THE    MAN-EATERS.  77 

"  Oh  !  you  intend  to  make  a  raft  of  the  canes  ?  "  in- 
quired the  botanist. 

"  Yes,  Sahib,"  replied  the  shikarree. 

"  It  will  take  a  long  time,  I  fear  ?  " 

"  No  fearee,  Sahib ;  half  hour  do." 

Ossaroo  was  as  good  as  his  promise.  In  half-an- 
hour  not  only  one  raft,  but  three — that  is,  a  raft  for 
each — was  constructed  and  ready  to  be  launched.  The 
construction  of  these  was  as  simple  as  it  was  ingenious. 
Each  consisted  of  four  pieces  of  bamboo,  lashed  together 
crossways  with  strips  of  rattan,  so  as  to  form  a  square 
in  the  centre  just  large  enough  to  admit  the  body  of  a 
man.  Of  course,  the  bamboos,  being  hollow  within, 
and  closed  at  both  ends,  had  sufficient  buoyancy  to  sus- 
tain a  man's  weight  above  water,  and  nothing  more  was 
wanted. 

Each  of  the  party  having  adjusted  his  burden  upon 
his  back,  stepped  within  the  square  space,  lifted  the 
framework  in  his  hands,  walked  boldly  into  the  river, 
and  was  soon  floating  out  upon  its  current.  Ossaroo 
had  given  them  instructions  how  to  balance  themselves 
so  as  to  keep  upright,  and  also  how  to  paddle  with  both 
hands  and  feet :  so  that,  after  a  good  deal  of  plashing 
and  spluttering,  and  laughing  and  shouting,  all  three 
arrived  safely  on  the  opposite  bank.  Of  course,  Fritz 
swam  over  without  a  raft. 

As  the  river  had  to  be  re-crossed  on  the  other  arm 
of  the  bend,  each  carried  his  raft  across  the  neck  or 
isthmus,  where  a  similar  fording  was  made,  that  brought 
them  once  more  on  the  path  they  were  following.  Thus 
every  da)- — almost  every  hour — our  travellers  were 
astonished  by  some  new  feat  of  their  hunter-guide,  and 


78  THE    MAN-EATEE9. 

some  new  purpose  to  which  the  noble  bamboo  could  be 
applied. 

Still  another  astonishment  awaited  them.  Ossaroo 
had^et  a  feat  in  store,  in  the  performance  of  which  the 
bamboo  was  to  play  a  conspicuous  part ;  and  it  chanced 
that  upon  the  very  next  day,  an  opportunity  occurred 
by  which  the  hunter  was  enabled  to  perform  this  feat  to 
the  great  gratification  not  only  of  his  travelling  com- 
panions, but  to  the  delight  of  a  whole  village  of  natives, 
who  derived  no  little  benefit  from  the  performance. 

I  have  already  said,  that  there  are  many  parts  of 
India  where  the  people  live  in  great  fear  of  the  tigers— 
as  well  as  lions,  wild  elephants,  panthers,  and  rhinoc- 
eroses. These  people  have  no  knowledge  of  proper 
fire-arms.  Some,  indeed,  carry  the  clumsy  matchlock, 
which,  of  course,  is  of  little  or  no  service  in  hunting ; 
and  their  bows,  even  with  poisoned  arrows,  are  but 
poor  weapons  when  used  in  an  encounter  with  these 
strong  savage  beasts. 

Often  a  whole  village  is  kept  in  a  state  of  terror  for 
weeks  or  months  by  a  single  tiger  who  may  have  made 
his  lair  in  the  neighborhood,  and  whose  presence  is 
known  by  his  repeated  forays  upon  the  cows,  buffaloes, 
or  other  domesticated  animals  of  the  villagers.  It  is 
only  after  this  state  of  things  has  continued  for  a  length 
of  time,  and  much  loss  has  been  sustained,  that  these 
poor  people,  goaded  to  desperation,  at  length  assemble 
together,  and  risk  an  encounter  with  the  tawny  tyrant. 
In  such  encounters  human  lives  are  frequently  sacri- 
ficed, and  generally  some  one  of  the  party  receives  a 
blow  or  scratch  from  the  tiger's  paw,  which  maims  or 
lames  him  for  the  rest  of  his  days. 


THE    MAN-EATEKS.  79 

But  there  is  still  a  worse  case  than  even  this.  Not 
unfrequently  the  tiger,  instead  of  preying  upon  their 
cattle,  carries  off  one  of  the  natives  themselves ;  and 
where  this  occurs,  the  savage  monster,  if  not  pursued 
and  killed,  is  certain  to  repeat  the  offence.  It  i*  strange, 
and  true  as  strange,  that  a  tiger  having  once  fed  upon 
human  flesh,  appears  ever  after  to  be  fonder  of  it  than 
of  any  other  food,  and  will  make  the  most  daring  at- 
tempts to  procure  it.  Such  tigers  are  not  uncommon 
in  India,  where  they  are  known  among  the  natives  by 
the  dreaded  name  of  man-eaters! 

It  is  not  a  little  curious  that  the  Caffres  and  other 
natives  of  South  Africa,  apply  the  same  term  to  indi- 
viduals of  the  lion  species,  known  to  be  imbued  with  a 
similar  appetite. 

It  is  difficult  to  conceive  a  more  horrible  monster 
than  a  lion  or  tiger  of  such  tastes  ;  and  in  India,  when 
the  presence  of  such  an  one  is  discovered,  the  whole 
neighborhood  lives  in  dread.  Often  when  a  British 
post  is  near,  the  natives  make  application  to  the  officers 
to  assist  them  in  destroying  the  terrible  creature — well 
knowing  that  our  countrymen,  with  their  superior  cour- 
age, with  their  elephants  and  fine  rifles,  are  more  than 
a  match  for  the  jungle  tyrant.  When  no  such  help  is 
at  hand,  the  shikarrees,  or  native  hunters,  usually  as- 
semble, and  either  take  *the  tiger  by  stratagem,  or  risk 
their  lives  in  a  bold  encounter.  In  many  a  tiger-hunt 
had  Ossaroo  distinguished  himself,  both  by  stratagem 
and  prowess,  and  there  was  no  mode  of  trapping  or 
killing  a  tiger  that  was  not  known  to  him. 

He  was  now  called  upon  to  give  an  exhibition  of  his 
craft,  which,  in  point  of  ingenuity,  was  almost  equal  to 
Jie  stratagem  of  the  limed  fig-leaves. 


9 

80       THE  DEATH  OF  THE  MAN-EATER. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

THE   DEATH    OF    THE   MAN-EATER. 

THE  path  which  our  travellers  were  following  led 
them  into  one  of  the  native  villages  of  the  Teriii,  which 
lay  in  a  sequestered  part  of  the  forest.  The  inhabitants 
of  this  village  received  them  with  acclamations  of  joy. 
Their  approach  had  been  reported  before  they  reached 
the  place,  and  a  deputation  of  the  villagers  met  thera 
on  the  way,  hailing  them  with  joyful  exclamations  and 
gestures  of  welcome. 

Karl  and  Caspar,  ignorant  of  the  native  language, 
and,  of  course,  not  comprehending  what  was  said,  were 
for  some  time  at  a  loss  to  understand  the  meaning  of 
these  demonstrations.  Ossaroo  was  appealed  to  to  fur- 
nish an  explanation. 

"  A  man-eater,"  he  said. 

"A  man-eater!" 

"  Yes,  Sahib  ;  a  man-eater  in  the  jungle." 

This  was  not  sufficiently  explicit.  What  did  Ossaroo 
mean  ?  A  man-eater  in  the  jungle  ?  What  sort  of 
creature  was  that  ?  Neither  Karl  nor  Caspar  had 
ever  heard  of  such  a  thing  before.  They  questioned 
Ossaroo. 

The  latter  explained  to  them  what  was  a  man-eater. 


THE  DEATH  OF  THE  MAN-EATER.        81 

It  was  a  tiger  so  called,  as  you  already  know,  on  ac- 
count of  its  preying  upon  human  beings.  This  one 
had  already  killed  and  carried  off  a  man,  a  woman,  and 
two  children,  beside  large  numbers  of  domestic  animals. 
For  more  than  three  months  it  had  infested  the  village, 
and  kept  the  inhabitants  in  a  state  of  constant  alarm. 
Indeed,  several  families  had  deserted  the  place  solely 
through  fear  of  this  terrible  tiger ;  and  those  that  re- 
mained were  in  the  habit,  as  soon  as  night  came  on,  of 
shutting  themselves  up  within  their  houses,  without 
daring  to  stir  out  again  till  morning.  In  the  instance 
of  one  of  the  children,  even  this  precaution  had  not 
served,  for  the  fierce  tiger  had  broken  through  the  frail 
wall  of  bamboos,  and  carried  the  child  off  before  the 
eyes  of  its  afflicted  parents  ! 

Several  times  the  timid  but  incensed  villagers  had 
assembled  and  endeavored  to  destroy  this  terrible  enemy. 
They  had  found  him  each  time  in  his  lair ;  but,  on  ac- 
count of  their  poor  weapons  and  slight  skill  as  hunters, 
he  had  always  been  enabled  to  escape  from  them."  In- 
deed on  such  occasions  the  tiger  was  sure  to  come  off 
victorious,  for  it  was  in  one  of  these  hunts  that  the 
man  had  fallen  a  sacrifice.  Others  of  the  villagers  had 
been  wounded  in  the  different  conflicts  with  this  pest 
of  the  jungle.  With  such  a  neighbor  at  their  doors  no 
wonder  they  had  been  living  in  a  state  of  disquietude 
and  terror. 

But  why  their  joy  at  the  approach  of  our  travellers  ? 

This  was  proudly  explained  by  Ossaroo,  who  of  course 
had  reason  to  be  proud  of  the  circumstance. 

It  appeared  that  the  fame  of  the  shikarree,  as  a 
great  tiger-hunter,  had  preceded  him,  and  his  name 


82        THE  DEATH  OF  THE  MAN-EATER. 

was  known  even  in  the  Terai.  The  villagers  had 
heard  that  he  was  approaching,  accompanied  by  two 
Feringhees,  (so  Europeans  are  called  by  the  natives  of 
India,)  and  they  hoped,  by  the  aid  of  the  noted  shikar- 
ree  and  the  Feringhee  Sahibs,  to  get  rid  of  the  dreaded 
marauder. 

Ossaroo,  thus  appealed  to,  at  once  gave  his  promise  to 
aid  them.  Of  course  the  botanist  made  no  objection, 
and  Caspar  was  delighted  with  the  idea.  They  were  to 
remain  all  night  at  the  village,  since  nothing  could  be 
done  before  night.  They  might  have  got  up  a  grand 
battue  to  beat  the  jungle  and  attack  the  tiger  in  his  lair, 
but  what  would  have  come  of  that  ?  Perhaps  the  loss 
of  more  lives.  None  of  the  villagers  cared  to  risk 
themselves  in  such  a  hunt,  and  that  was  not  the  way 
that  Ossaroo  killed  his  tigers. 

Karl  and  Caspar  expected  to  see  their  companion  once 
more  try  his  stratagem  of  the  birdlime  and  the  leaves ; 
and  such  at  first  was  his  intention.  Upon  inquiry,  how- 
ever,*he  found  that  no  birdlime  was  to  be  had.  The 
villagers  did  not  know  how  to  prepare  it,  and  there  were 
no  fig-trees  about  the  neighborhood,  nor  holly,  nor 
trees  of  any  other  kind  out  of  which  it  could  properly 
be  made. 

What  was  Ossaroo  to  do  under  these  circumstances  ? 
Must  he  abandon  the  idea  of  destroying  the  man-eater, 
and  leave  the  helpless  villagers  to  their  fate  ?  No.  His 
hunter  pride  would  not  permit  that.  His  name  as  a 
great  shikarree  was  at  stake.  Besides,  his  humanity  was 
touched — for,  although  but  a  poor  Hindoo,  he  possessed 
the  common  feelings  of  our  nature.  Karl  and  Caspar, 
moreover,  had  taken  an  interest  in  the  thing,  and  urged 


THE  DEATH  OF  THE  MAN-EATER.        83 

him  to  do  his  best,  promising  him  all  the  assistance  it 
was  in  their  power  to  give. 

It  was  resolved,  therefore,  that,  cost  what  it  might, 
the  tiger  should  be  destroyed. 

Ossaroo  had  other  resources  besides  the  birdlime  and 
the  battue,  and  he  at  once  set  to  work  to  prepare  his 
plan.  He  had  an  ample  stock  of  attendants,  as  the  vil- 
lagers worked  eagerly  and  ran  hither  and  thither  obedi- 
ent to  his  nod.  In  front  of  the  village  there  was  a  piece 
of  open  ground.  This  was  the  scene  of  operations. 

Ossaroo  first  commanded  four  large  posts  to  be  brought, 
and  set  in  the  ground  in  a  quadrangle  of  about  eight 
feet  in  length  and  width.  These  posts  when  sunk  firmly 
in  their  place  stood  full  eight  feet  in  height,  and  each 
had  a  fork  at  the  top.  On  these  forks  four  strong  beams 
were  placed  horizontally,  and  then  firmly  lashed  with 
rawhide  thongs.  Deep  trenches  were  next  dug  from 
post  to  post,  and  in  these  were  planted  rows  of  strong 
bamboos  four  inches  apart  from  each  other — the  bam- 
boos themselves  being  about  four  inches  in  thickness. 
The  earth  was  then  filled  in,  and  trodden  firmly,  so  as 
to  render  the  uprights  immovable.  A  tier  of  similar 
bamboos  was  next  laid  horizontally  upon  the  top,  the 
ends  of  which,  interlocking  with  those  that  stood  up- 
right, held  the  latter  in  their  places.  Both  were  securely 
lashed  to  the  frame  timbers — that  had  been  notched  for 
the  purpose — and  to  one  another,  and  then  the  structure 
was  complete.  It  resembled. an  immense  cage  with 
smooth  yellow  rods,  each  four  inches  in  diameter.  The 
door  alone  was  wanting,  but  it  was  not  desirable  to  have 
a  door.  Although  it  was  intended  for  a  "  trap  cage," 
the  "  bird  "  for  which  it  had  been  constructed  was  not  to 
be  admitted  to  the  inside. 


8i       THE  DEATH  OF  THE  HAN-EATER. 

Ossaroo  now  called  upon  the  villagers  to  provide  him 
with  a  goat  that  had  lately  had  kids,  and  whose  young 
were  still  living.  This  was  easily  procured.  Still 
another  article  he  required,  but  both  it  and  the  goat  had 
been  "  bespoke  "  at  an  earlier  hour  of  the  day,  and  were 
waiting  his  orders.  This  last  was  the  skin  of  a  buffalo, 
such  a  one  as  we  have  already  seen  used  by  these  people 
in  crossing  their  rivers. 

When  all  these  things  had  been  got  ready  it  was  near 
night,  and  no  time  was  lost  in  waiting.  With  the  help 
of  the  villagers  Ossaroo  was  speedily  arrayed  in  the  skin 
of  the  buffalo,  his  arms  and  limbs  taking  the  place  of 
the  animal's  legs,  with  the  head  and  horns  drawn  over 
him  like  a  hood,  so  that  his  eyes  were  opposite  the  holes 
in  the  skin. 

Thus  metamorphosed,  Ossaroo  entered  the  bamboo 
cage,  taking  the  goat  along  with  him.  The  stake,  that 
had  been  kept  out  for  the  purpose  of  admitting  them 
within  the  enclosure,  was  now  set  into  its  place  as  firmly 
as  the  others  ;  and  this  done,  the  villagers,  with  Karl 
and  Caspar,  retired  to  their  houses,  and  left  the  shikar- 
ree  and  his  goat  to  themselves. 

A  stranger  passing  the  spot  would  have  had  no  other 
thoughts  than  that  the  cage-like  enclosure  contained  a 
buffalo  and  a  goat.  On  closer  examination  it  might 
have  been  perceived  that  this  buffalo  held,  grasped 
firmly  in  its  fore-hoofs,  a  strong  bamboo  spear  ;  and  that 
was  all  that  appeared  odd  about  it—  for  it  was  lying 
down  like  any  other  buffalo,  with  the  goat  standing  be- 


The  sun  had  set,  and  night  was  now  on.     The  villa- 
gers had  put  out  their  lights,  and,  shut  up  within  their 


THE  DEATH  OF  THE  MAN-EATER.        85 

houses,  were  waiting  in  breathless  expectation.  Ossaroo 
on  his  part,  was  equally  anxious — not  from  the  fear  of 
any  danger,  for  he  had  secured  himself  against  that. 
He  was  only  anxious  for  the  approach  of  the  man-eater, 
in  order  that  he  might  have  the  opportunity  to  exhibit 
the  triumph  of  his  hunter-skill. 

He  was  not  likely  to  be  disappointed.  The  villagers 
had  assured  him  that  the  fierce  brute  was  in  the  habit 
of  paying  them'a  nightly  visit,  and  prowling  around  the 
place  for  hours  together.  It  was  only  when  he,  had 
succeeded  in  carrying  off  some  of  their  cattle  that  he 
would  be  absent  for  days — no  doubt  his  hunger  being 
for  the  time  satiated ;  but  as  he  had  not  lately  made  a 
capture,  they  looked  for  a  visit  from  him  on  that  very 
night. 

If  the  tiger  should  come  near  the  village,  Ossaroo  had 
no  fear  that  he  could  attract  him  to  the  spot.  He  had 
laid  his  decoy  too  well  to  fail  in  this.  The  goat,  de- 
prived of  her  young,  kept  up  an  incessant  bleating,  and 
the  kids  answered  her  from  one  of  the  houses  of  the 
village.  As  the  hunter  knew  from  experience  that  the 
tiger  has  a  particular  relish  for  goat-venison,  he  had  no 
fear  but  that  the  voice  of  the  animal  would  attract  him 
to  the  spot,  provided  he  came  near  enough  to  hear  it. 
In  this  the  villagers  assured  him  he  would  not  be  dis- 
appointed. 

He  was  not  disappointed  ;  neither  was  he  kept  long 
in  suspense.  He  had  not  been  more  than  half-an-hour 
in  his  buffalo  disguise,  before  a  loud  growling  on  the 
edge  of  the  forest  announced  the  approach  of  the  dreaded 
man-eater,  and  caused  the  goat  to  spring  wildly  about 
in  the  enclosure,  uttering  at  intervals  the  most  piercing 
*,ries. 


86        THE  DEATH  OP  THE  MAN-EATEK. 

This  was  just  what  Ossaroo  wanted.  The  tiger, 
hearing  the  voice  of  the  goat,  needed  no  further  invita- 
tion ;  but  in  a  few  moments  was  seen  trotting  boldly  up 
to  the  spot.  There  was  no  crouching  on  the  part  of  the 
terrible  brute.  He  had  been  too  long  master  there  to 
fear  anything  he  might  encounter,  and  he  stood  in  need 
of  a  supper.  The  goat  that  he  had  heard  would  be 
just  the  dish  he  should  relish ;  and  he  had  determined 
on  laying  his  claws  upon  her  without  more  ado.  In 
another  moment  he  stood  within  ten  feet  of  the  cage ! 

The  odd-looking  structure  puzzled  him,  and  he  halted 
to  survey  it.  Fortunately  there  was  a  moon,  and  the 
light  not  only  enabled  the  tiger  to  see  what  the  cage 
contained,  but  it  also  gave  Ossaroo  an  opportunity  of 
watching  all  his  movements. 

"Of  course,"  thought  the  tiger,  "it's  an  enclosure- 
some  of  these  simple  villagers  have  put  .up  to  keep  that 
goat  and  buffalo  from  straying  off  into  the  woods  ;  likely 
enough,  too,  to  keep  me  from  getting  at  them.  Well, 
they  appear  to  have  been  very  particular  about  the 
building  of  it.  We  shall  see  if  they  have  made  the 
walls  strong  enough." 

With  these  reflections  he  drew  near,  and  rearing  up- 
ward caught  one  of  the  bamboos  in  his  huge  paw,  and 
shook  it  with  violence.  The  cane,  strong  as  a  bar  of 
iron,  refused  to  yield  even  to  the  strength  of  a  tiger ; 
and,  on  finding  this,  the  fierce  brute  ran  rapidly  round 
the  enclosure,  trying  it  at  various  places,  and  searching 
for  an  entrance. 

There  was  no  entrance,  however ;  and  on  perceiving 
that  there  was  none,  the  tiger  endeavored  to  get  at  the 
goat  by  inserting  his  paws  between  the  bamboos.  The 


THE  DEATH  OF  THE  MAN-EATER.        87 

goat,  however,  ran  frightened  and  screaming  to  the  oppo- 
site side,  and  so  kept  out  of  the  way.  It  would  have 
served  the  tiger  equally  well  to  have  laid  his  claws  upon 
the  buffalo,  but  this  animal  very  prudently  remained 
near  the  centre  of  the  enclosure,  and  did  not  appear 
to  be  so  badly  scared  withal.  No  doubt  the  coolness 
of  the  buffalo  somewhat  astonished  the  tiger,  but  in 
his  endeavors  to  capture  the  goat,  he  did  not  stop  to 
show  his  surprise,  but  ran  round  and  round,  now  dash- 
ing forcibly  against  the  bamboos,  and  now  reaching 
his  paws  between  them  as  far  as  his  fore-legs  would 
stretch. 

All  at  once  the  buffalo  was  seen  to  rush  towards  him, 
and  the  tiger  was  in  great  hopes  of  being  able  to  reach 
the  latter  with  his  claws,  when,  to  his  astonishment,  he 
felt  some  hard  instrument  strike  sharply  against  his 
snout,  and  rattle  upon  his  teeth,  while  the  fire  flew  from 
his  eyes  at  the  concussion.  Of  course  it  was  the  horn 
of  the  buffalo  that  had  done  this  ;  and  now,  rendered 
furious  by  the  pain,  the  tiger  forgot  all  about  the  goat, 
and  turned  his  attention  towards  revenging  himself  upon 
the  animal  who  had  wounded  him.  Several  times  he 
launched  himself  savagely  against  the  bamboos,  but  the 
canes  resisted  all  his  strength.  Just  then  it  occurred  to 
him  that  he  might  effect  an  entrance  by  the  top,  and 
with  one  bound  he  sprang  upon  the  roof  of  the  enclosure. 
This  was  just  what  the  buffalo  wished,  and  the  broad 
white  belly  of  his  assailant  stretched  along  the  open 
framework  of  bamboos,  was  now  a  fair  mark  for  that 
terrible  horn.  Like  a  gleam  of  lightning  it  entered  be- 
tween his  ribs ;  the  red  blood  spouted  forth,  the  huge 
man-eater  screamed  fiercely  as  he  felt  the  deadly  stab, 


88        THE  DEATH  OF  THE  MAN-EATER. 

and  then,  struggling  for  a  few  minutes,  his  enormous 
body  lay  stretched  across  the  rack  silent, — motionless,— 
dead  ! 

A  signal  whistle  from  Ossaroo  soon  brought  the  vil- 
lagers upon  the  spot.  The  shikarree  and  the  goat  were 
set  free.  The  carcass  of  the  man-eater  was  dragged 
into  the  middle  of  the  village  amidst  shouts  of  triumph, 
and  the  rest  of  the  night  was  devoted  to  feasting  and 
rejoicing.  The  "freedom  of  the  city"  was  offered  to 
Ossaroo  and  his  companions,  and  every  hospitality  lav- 
ished upon  them  that  the  grateful  inhabitants  knew  how 
to  bestow. 


KAKL'S  ADVENTURE.  89 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


NEXT  morning  they  were  en  route  at  an  early  hour ; 
and  having  passed  through  some  cultivated  fields,  they 
once  more  entered  the  wild  primeval  forest  which  covers 
most  of  the  hills  and  valleys  of  the  Terai. 

Their  road  during  the  whole  day  was  a  series  of 
ascents  and  descents,  now  running  along  the  bed  of  a 
stream ;  now  upon  its  high  bank,  anon  over  some  pro- 
jecting ridge,  and  at  intervals  crossing  the  stream,  some- 
times by  fording,  and  once  or  twice  by  natural  bridges 
formed  by  the  long  trailing  roots  of  various  species  of 
fig-trees. 

Although  they  were  gradually  ascending  to  a  higher 
elevation,  the  vegetation  was  still  of  a  tropical  character. 
Pothos  plants,  and  broad-leaved  arums,  bamboos,  wild 
plantains,  and  palms,  were  seen  all  along  the  way,  while 
lovely  orchidaceous  flowers,  —  epiphytes  and  trailing 
plants, — hung  down  from  the  trunks  and  branches  of 
the  great  trees,  forming  festoons  and  natural  trellis-work, 
that  stretched  across  the  path  and  almost  closed  it  up. 

That  was  a  busy  day  for  the  botanical  collector. 
Many  rare  species  were  found  in  seed,  and  he  gathered 
a  load  for  all  three,  to  be  carried  on  to  their  halting 


90  KARL'S  ADVENTURE  WITH 

place,  and  stored  until  their  return  from  the  mountains. 
Those  species  that  were  yet  only  in  flower  he  noted 
down  in  his  memorandum-book.  They  would  be  ripe 
for  him  on  his  way  back. 

About  noon  they  halted  to  refresh  themselves.  The 
spot  .they  had  chosen  was  in  a  grove  of  purple  mag- 
nolias, whose  splendid  flowers  were  in  full  bloom,  and 
scented  the  air  around  with  their  sweet  perfume.  A 
crystal  stream, — a  mere  rivulet, — trickled  in  its  deep 
bed  through  the  midst  of  the  grove,  and  the  movement 
of  its  waters  seemed  to  produce  a  refreshing  coolness  in 
the  surrounding  atmosphere. 

They  had  just  unbuckled  their  packs,  intending  to 
lunch,  and  remain  an  hour  or  so  on  the  ground,  when 
some  animal  was  heard  moving  among  the  bushes  on 
the  other  side  of  the  rivulet. 

Caspar  and  Ossaroo,  ever  ready  for  the  chase,  imme- 
diately seized  their  weapons  ;  and,  crossing  the  stream, 
went  in  search  of  the  animal,  which  they  supposed 
would  turn  out  to  be  a  deer.  Karl,  therefore,  was  left 
by  himself. 

Now  Karl  felt  very  much  jaded.  He  had  worked 
hard  in  gathering  his  seeds,  and  nuts,  and  drupes,  and 
berries,  and  pericarps,  and  he  felt  quite  done  up,  and 
had  some  thoughts  of  remaining  upon  that  spot  for  the 
night.  Before  giving  up,  however,  he  determined  to 
try  a  refreshing  medicine',  which  he  had  brought  with 
him,  and  in  which  he  had  been  taught  to  have  great 
faith.  This  medicine  was  nothing  more  than  a  bottle 
of  hot  peppers  pickled  in  vinegar,  which  Karl  had  been 
told  by  a  friend  was  one  of  the  finest  remedies  for  fatigue 
that  could  be  found  in  the  world, — in  fact,  the  sovereign 


THE    LONG-LIPPPED    BEAR.  91 

cure, — far  excelling  rum  or  brandy,  or  even  the  potent 
spirit  of  his  native  land,  the  kirschen-wasser.  A  drop 
or  two  of  it  mixed  with  a  cup  of  water  would  impart 
instantaneous  relief  to  the  weary  traveller,  and  enable 
him  to  continue  his  journey  like  a  new  man.  So  Karl's 
friend  had  told  him,  and  he  was  now  determined  to  give 
the  pickled  peppers  a  trial. 

Taking  the  bottle  in  one  hand,  and  his  tin  drinking- 
cup  in  the  other,  he  descended  to  the  bed  of  the  rivulet 
to  fill  the  cup  with  water. 

The  little  stream  ran  in  a  deep  cut  or  gully,  and  its 
bed  was  not  more  than  a  yard  or  two  in  width,  but  it 
was  nearly  empty — so  that  Karl  as  soon  as  he  had 
clambered  down  the  steep  sloping  bank,  found  dry 
footing  among  the  pebbles. 

He  was  just  in  the  act  of  stooping  to  fill  his  cup, 
when  he  heard  the  voices  of  Caspar  and  Ossaroo  far- 
ther up  the  stream,  as  if  they  were  in  pursuit  of  some 
animal.  Presently  a  shot  rang  through  ihe  woods.  Of 
course  it  was  Caspar's  gun,  for  Caspar  was  heard 
shouting  in  the  direction  whence  the  shot  came. 

Karl  had  raised  himself  erect,  and  was  thinking, 
whether  he  could  give  any  help  to  the  hunters,  by 
intercepting  the  animal  if  it  came  his  way.  He  heard 
the  voice  of  Caspar  crying  to  him  to  "  look  out,"  and 
just  at  the  moment  he  did  "  look  out,"  and  saw  coming 
right  down  upon  him  a  large  animal  covered  with  black 
shaggy  hair,  and  a  white  patch  upon  its  breast.  At  the 
first  glance  it  had  the  look  of  a  bear,  but  Karl  noticed 
a  hunch  upon  its  back,  which  gave  it  a  very  peculiar 
appearance,  and  rendered  him  doubtful  as  to  what  sort 
of  beast  it  was.  He  had  no  time  to  examine  it  very 
5 


92  KARL'S  ADVENTURE  WITH 

minutely — although  it  was  close  enough,  for  when  ho 
first  set  eyes  upon  it,  it  was  within  six  paces  of  where 
he  stood.  It  was  altogether  too  close  to  him,  Karl 
thought ;  and  so  far  from  endeavoring  to  intercept  it, 
he  tried  with  all  his  might  to  get  out  of  its  way. 

His  first  impulse  was  to  rush  up  the  bank.  He  saw 
that  the  bear,  or  whatever  it  was,  was  resolved  to  keep 
right  on ;  and  the  only  way  to  avoid  an  encounter 
would  be  to  leave  the  channel  free.  He  therefore 
made  a  dash  at  the  bank,  and  tried  to  clamber  out. 
The  clayey  slope,  however,  chanced  to  be  wet  and 
slippery,  and  before  Karl  could  reach  the  top  his  feet 
flew  from  under  him,  and  he  came  back  to  the  bottom 
faster  than  he  had  gpne  up. 

He  now  found  himself  face  to  face  with  the  bear — • 
for  it  was  a  bear — and  not  six  feet  separated  them 
from  each  other.  Neither  could  pass  the  other  in  the 
narrow  channel,  and  Karl  knew  that  by  turning  down 
he  would  soon*be  overtaken,  and  perhaps  hugged  to 
death.  He  had  no  weapon — nothing  in  his  hand  but 
the  bottle  of  red  peppers — what  could  he  do  ? 

There  was  not  a  moment  left  for  reflection.  The 
bear  reared  upward  with  a  savage  growl,  and  rushed 
forward  to  the  attack.  He  had  almost  got  his  claws 
upon  the  plant-hunter,  when  the  latter  mechanically 
struck  forward  with  the  bottle,  and,  as  good  luck 
guided  it,  hit  his  assailant  fair  upon  the  snout.  A  loud 
smash,  and  the  rattling  of  glass  among  the  pebbles, 
announced  the  fate  of  the  bottle,  and  the  red  peppers, 
vinegar,  and  all,  went  streaming  about  the  head  of  the 
bear. 

The  brute  lettered  a  scream  of  terror — such  as  bears 


THE    LONG-LIPPED    BEAR.  93 

will  do  when  badly  frightened — and,  wheeling  away 
from  the  conflict,  headed  up  the  sloping  bank.  He 
succeeded  in  his  climbing  better  than  Karl  had  done ; 
for,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  he  had  reached  the  top 
of  the  slope,  and  in  the  twinkling  of  another  eye  would 
have  disappeared  among  the  bushes,  had  not  Caspar  at 
this  moment  arrived  upon  the  ground,  and  with  his 
second  barrel  brought  him  rolling  back  into  the  chan- 
nel. 

The  bear  fell  dead  almost  at  Karl's  feet,  and  the  latter 
stepped  forward  to  examine  the  carcass.  What  was 
his  astonishment  on  perceiving  that  what^  he  had  taken 
for  a  hunch  on  the  bear's  back  was  a  brace  of  young 
cubs,  that  had  now  rolled  off,  and  were  running  round 
the  body  of  their  dam,  whining,  and  snarling,  and  snap- 
ping like  a  pair  of  vixens !  But  Fritz  at  this  moment 
rushed  forward,  and,  after  a  short  fierce  struggle,  put 
an  end  to  their  lively  demonstrations. 

Caspar  now  related  that  when  he  and  Ossaroo  first 
came  in  sight  of  the  bear  the  cubs  were  upon  the 
ground  playing  ;  but  the  moment  he  fired  the  first  shot 
— which  had  not  hit  the  old  bear  withal — she  seized  the 
cubs  one  after  the  other  in  her  mouth,  flung  them  upon 
her  shoulders,  and  then  made  off ! 

The  animal  that  had  fallen  before  the  bullet  of  Cas- 
par's gun  was  the  "  long-lipped,"  or  sloth-bear  (  Ursus 
Idbiatus).  The  first  name  has  been  given  to  this  spe- 
cies on  account  of  the  capability  it  possesses  of  pro- 
truding the  cartilage  of  its  nose  and  its  lips  far  in 
advance  of  its  teeth,  and  by  this  means  seizing  its 
food.  It  is  called  "sloth"  bear,  because  when  first 
known  it  was  supposed  to  belong  to  the  sloths  ;  and  its 


94  KARL'S  ADVENTURE. 

long  shaggy  hair,  its  rounded  back,  and  the  apparently 
unwieldly  and  deformed  contour  of  its  whole  body, 
gave  some  color  to  the  idea.  These  marks  of  ugliness, 
combined  with  its  sagacity — which  enables  the  Indian 
jugglers  to  train  it  .to  a  variety  of  tricks — render  this 
species  of  bear  a  favorite  with  them,  and  on  this  ac- 
count it  is  also  known  by  the  name  of  the  "  Ours  de 
jongleurs,"  or  "  Jugglers'  bear." 

The  sloth-bear  is  long-haired  and  shaggy,  of  a  deep 
black  color,  except  under  the  throat,  where  there  is  a 
white  mark  shaped  like  the  letter  Y.  It  is  nearly 
as  large  as  the  black  bear  of  America,  and  its  habits 
in  a  state  of  nature  are  very  similar  to  this  species. 
It  will  not  attack  man  unless  closely  pressed  or 
wounded;  and  had  Karl  been  able  to  get  out  of  her 
way,  the  old  she  would  not  have  followed  him,  savage 
as  she  was  from  being  shot  at  by  Caspar. 

No  doubt  the  "pickle"  had  helped  him  out  of  a 
worse  pickle.  The  peppery  vinegar  getting  into  the 
eyes  of  the  bear  quite  confounded  her,  and  caused  her 
to  turn  tail.  But  for  that  Karl  might  have  undergone 
a  hug  and  a  sharp  scratch  or  two,  and  he  might  well 
be  thankful — as  he  was — that  he  had  escaped  with  no 
more  serious  damage  than  the  loss  of  his  precious 
peppers. 


OSSAROO    IN   TROUBLE.  95 


CHAPTER  XVIL 

OSSAROO   IN   TROUBLE. 

FRITZ  had  scarce  finished  his  battle  with  the  young 
bears,  with  Karl  and  Caspar  standing  over  him,  when 
a  loud  shouting  drew  the  attention  of  all  to  another 
quarter.  The  shouting  evidently  proceeded  from  Os- 
saroo,  as  the  boys  could  distinguish  his  voice.  The 
shikarree  was  in  trouble — as  they  could  easily  under- 
stand by  his  shrill  continued  screams — and  the  words 
"  Help !  Sahibs,  help  ! "  which  he  repeatedly  uttered. 

What  could  be  the  matter  with  Ossaroo  ?  Had  an- 
other bear  attacked  him  ?  Maybe  a  panther,  or  a  lion, 
or  a  tiger  ?  No  matter  what  it  was,  both  Karl  and 
Caspar  felt  it  to  be  their  duty  to  hasten  to  his  assist- 
ance ;  and  without  more  ado  both  of  them  started  off 
in  the  direction  whence  came  the  shouts.  Karl  had 
got  possession  of  his  rifle,  and  Caspar  hastily  rammed 
a  load  into  the  right-hand  barrel,  so  that  both  were  in 
readiness  to  offer  good  help  to  the  guide,  if  it  should 
turn  out  to  be  a  wild  beast  that  was  his  assailant. 

In  a  few  moments,  they  came  in  sight  of  Ossaroo ; 
and,  to  their  great  relief,  saw  that  no  animal  was  near 
him.  Neither  bear  nor  panther,  nor  lion  nor  tiger, 
appeared  upon  the  spot  Ossaroo,  however  still  con- 


96  OSSAROO    IN    TROUBLE. 

tinued  his  noisy  cries  for  help ;  and,  to  the  astonish- 
ment of  the  boys,  they  saw  him  dancing  about  over  the 
ground,  now  stooping  his  head  downwards,  now  leaping 
up  several  feet,  his  arms  all  the  while  playing  about, 
and  striking  out  as  if  at  some  imaginary  enemy  ! 

What  could  it  all  mean  ?  Had  Ossaroo  gone  mad  ? 
Or  had  he  become  suddenly  afflicted  with  the  malady 
of  St.  Vitus  ?  His  movements  were  altogether  of  a 
comical  nature ;  no  mountebank  could  have  danced 
about  with  more  agility ;  and,  but  for  the  earnestness 
of  his  cries,  evidently  forced  from  him  by  fear,  both 
Karl  and  Caspar  would  have  burst  out  into  a  fit  of 
laughter.  They  saw,  however,  that  the  shikarree  was 
in  some  danger-  -from  what,  they  could  not  tell ;  but 
they  very  naturally  suspected  that  he  had  been  at- 
tacked by  a  venomous  serpent,  and,  perhaps,  already 
bitten  by  it.  It  might  still  be  attacking  him,  perhaps 
under  his  clothes,  and  that  was  why  they  could  not  per- 
ceive it. 

This  idea  restrained  them  from  laughter,  for,  if  their 
conjecture  proved  correct,  it  would  be  no  laughing  mat- 
ter for  poor  Ossaroo  ;  and,  with  fear  in  their  hearts, 
both  the  boys  rushed  forward  to  the  spot. 

On  getting  nearer,  however,  the  odd  behavior  of  the 
shikarree  was  explained,  and  the  enemy  with  which  he 
was  contending,  and  which  had  hitherto  remained  in- 
visible, came  under  their  view.  Around  the  head  of 
Ossaroo  there  appeared  a  sort  of  misty  halo,  encircling 
him  like  a  glory  ;  which,  on  closer  view,  the  boys 
perceived  was  neither  more  nor  less  than  a  swarm  of 
bees! 

The  whole   matter  was   cleared   up.     Ossaroo   had 


OSSAROO    IN    TROUBLE.  97 

been  assailed  by  bees  ;  and  it  was  they  that  were  mak- 
ing him  dance  and  fling  his  arms  about  in  so  wild  a 
manner ! 

Karl  and  Caspar  had  forborne  to  laugh,  so  long  as 
they  believed  their  guide  to  be  in  real  danger ;  but 
now  that  they  saw  what  it  was,  they  could  no  more 
restrain  their  mirth,  and  both  simultaneously  broke  out 
into  a  fit  of  cachinnation,  that  caused  the  woods  to  ring 
again. 

On  seeing  how  his  young  companions  sympathized 
with  his  distress,  Ossaroo  was  by  no  means  pleased. 
The  stings  of  the  bees  had  nettled  the  Hindoo's  tem- 
per, and  the  laughter  of  the  boys  exasperated  him 
still  more.  He  resolved,  therefore,  that  they  should 
both  have  a  taste  of  the  same  trouble ;  and,  without 
saying  another  word,  he  rushed  between  the  two ;  of 
course,  carrying  the  swarm  of  bees  along  with  him. 

This  unexpected  manoeuvre  on  the  part  of  the  guide, 
at  once  put  an  end  to  the  merriment  of  his  compan- 
ions ;  and  the  next  moment,  instead  of  enjoying  a  laugh 
at  Ossaroo's  expense,  both  of  themselves  exhibited  a 
spectacle  equally  ludicrous.  The  bees,  on  perceiving 
these  new  enemies,  at  once  separated  into  three  distinct 
swarms,  each  swarm  selecting  its  victim  ;  so  that  not 
only  Ossaroo,  but  Karl  and  Caspar  as  well,  now  danced 
over  the  ground  like  acrobats.  Even  Fritz  was  at- 
tacked by  a  few — enough  to  make  him  scamper  around, 
and  snap  at  his  own  legs  as  if  he  had  suddenly  gone 
mad ! 

Karl  and  Caspar  soon  learned,  that  what  had  so 
lately  amused  them  was  by  no  means  a  thing  to  be 
amused  at.  They  were  stung  about  the  face,  and  found 


98  OSSAROO    IN    TROUBLE. 

the  stinga  to  be  exceedingly  virulent  and  painful.  Be* 
sides,  the  number  of  their  assailants  rendered  the  affair 
one  of  considerable  danger.  They  began  to  feel  that 
there  was  peril  as  well  as  pain. 

Where  was  it  to  end  ?  All  their  demonstrations 
failed  to  drive  off  the  bees.  Run  where  they  would, 
the  enraged  insects  followed  them,  buzzing  about  their 
ears,  and  alighting  whenever  an  opportunity  offered. 
Where  was  it  to  end  ? 

It  was  difficult  to  tell  when  and  how  the  scene 
would  have  been  brought  to  a  termination,  had  it  not 
been  for  Ossaroo  himself.  The  cunning  Hindoo  had 
bethought  him  of  a  plan,  and,  calling  to  the  others  to 
follow  him,  was  seen  to  run  forward  in  a  direct  line 
through  the  woods. 

Karl  and  Caspar  started  after,  in  hopes  of  finding 
relief  from  their  tormentors. 

In  a  few  minutes,  Ossaroo  approached  the  bank  of 
the  stream,  at  a  place  where  it  was  dammed  up,  and 
formed  a  reach  of  deep  water — a  pool.  Without  hesi- 
tating a  moment,  the  Hindoo  plunged  into  the  water. 
The  boys,  flinging  down  their  guns,  imitated  his  exam- 
ple ;  and  all  three  stood  side  by  side,  neck-deep  in  the 
pool.  They  now  commenced  ducking  their  heads  «n- 
der,  and  continued  this,  at  intervals ;  until  at  length  the 
bees,  finding  themselves  in  danger  of  being  drowned, 
gave  up  the  attack,  and,  one  after  another,  winged  their 
way  back  into  the  woods. 

After  remaining  long  enough  in  the  pool,  to  make 
sure  that  their  enemies  had  gone  quite  away,  the  three 
smarting  hunters  climbed  out,  and  stood  dripping  upon 
the  bank.  They  would  have  laughed  at  the  whole 


OSSAKOO    IN    TROUBLE/  99 

adventure,  but  the  pain  of  the  stings  put  them  out  of 
all  humor  for  enjoying  a  joke  ;  and,  out  of  sorts  alto* 
gether,  they  quietly  wended  their  way  back  to  the  place 
of  their  temporary  encampment. 

On  their  way,  Ossaroo  explained  how  he  had  chanced 
to  provoke  the  attack  of  the  bees.  On  hearing  the 
report  of  Caspar's  gun,  and  the  noise  of  the  conflict 
between  Fritz  and  the  bears,  he  had  started  in  great 
haste  to  get  up  to  the  spot,  and  give  assistance.  In 
running  forward,  he  scarce  looked  before  him ;  and 
was  dashing  recklessly  through  among  trees,  when  his 
head  came  in  contact  with  a  large  bees'  nest,  which 
was  suspended  upon  a  vine  that  stretched  across  the 
path.  The  nest  was  constructed  out  of  agglutinated 
mud,  and  attached  only  slightly  to  the  vine ;  and  Ossaroo, 
having  become  entangled  in  the  latter,  shook  it  so  vio- 
lently that  the  nest  fell  down,  broke  into  pieces,  and  set 
the  whole  swarm  of  angry  bees  about  his  ears.  It  was 
just  then  that  he  had  been  heard  crying  out,  and  that 
Karl  and  Caspar  had  run  to  his  rescue ;  which  act  both 
of  them  now  said  they  very  much  regretted.  They 
were  hardly  in  earnest,  however ;  and  Ossaroo,  having 
procured  an  herb  from  the  woods,  the  sap  of  which 
sooji  alleviated  the  pain  of  the  stings,  in  a  short  time 
the  tempers  of  all  three  were  restored  to  their  usual 
equanimity. 

5* 


100  THE    AXIS    AND    PANTHER. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE   AXIS   AND   PANTHER. 

THE  maternal  solicitude  displayed  by  the  bear  in 
endeavoring  to  carry  her  young  out  of  danger,  had 
quite  won  the  admiration  of  the  plant-hunters ;  and  now 
that  the  excitement  of  the  conflict  was  over,  they  expe- 
rienced some  pangs  of  regret  at  having  killed  the  crea- 
ture. But  the  thing  was  done,  and  could  not  be  helped. 
Besides,  as  Ossfcroo  informed  them,  these  bears  are 
esteemed  a  great  nuisance  in  the  country.  Descending 
from  their  mountain  retreats,  or  issuing  out  of  the 
jungle  during  the  season  of  the  crops,  they  commit  very 
destructive  depredations  upon  the  produce  of  the  farmer, 
often  entering  his  very  garden  without  fear,  and  in  a 
single  night  laying  waste  the  contents  of  a  whole  en- 
closure* On  hearing  this,  both  Karl  and  Caspar  were 
more  contented  with  what  they  had  done.  Perhaps, 
reflected  they,  had  these  two  cubs  lived  to  grow  up, 
they  or  their  mother  might  have  devastated  the  paddy- 
field  of  some  poor  jemindar,  or  farmer,  and  he  and  his 
family  might  have  been  put  to  great  distress  by  it. 

Whether  or  not  their  reasoning  was  correct,  it  satisfied 
the  two  boys,  and  quieted  their  consciences  about  the 
killing  of  the  bears.  But  as  they  continued  their  jour- 


THE    AXIS    AND    PANTHER.  101 

ney,  they  still 'conversed  of*  tlie' curious  circumstance  of 
the  old  one  carrying  off  h'er  cubs' 'in  -the  manner  sho 
was  doing.  Karl  had  read  bf  such  a  'Habit1  in-  •animals 
— which  is  common  to  many  other  sorts  along  with  the' 
bears — such  as  the  great  ant-eater  of  South  America, 
the  opossum,  and  most  kinds  of  monkeys.  Both  agreed 
that  it  was  a  pretty  trait  in  the  character  of  the  lower 
animals,  and  proved  even  the  most  savage  of  them 
capable  of  tender  affection. 

It  chanced  that  upon  that  same  day  they  had  another 
illustration  of  this  very  nature,  and  one  that  by  good 
fortune  did  not  have  so  tragical  an  ending. 

They  had  finished  their  day's  journey,  and  were 
reclining  under  a  great  talauma  tree — a  species  of 
magnolia,  with  very  large  leaves — by  the  edge  of  a 
little  glade.  They  had  not  yet  made  any  preparations 
for  their  camp.  The  day's  march  had  been  a  severe 
one,  for  they  were  now  among  the  foot-hills  of  the  great 
Himalaya  chain ;  and  though  they  appeared  to  travel 
as  much  down  hill  as  up  they  were  in  reality  ascending, 
and  by  evening  they  were  really  more  than  five  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  plains  of  India.  They  had  arrived 
in  a  new  zone  of  vegetation,  among  the  great  forests  of 
magnolias  which  gird  the  middle  parts  of  the  mountains. 
It  is  in  this  part  of  the  world  that  the  remarkable  genus 
of  magnolia  is  found  in  its  greatest  vigor  and  variety ; 
and  many  species  of  these  trees,  in  forests  of  vast 
extent,  cover  and  adorn  the  declivities  of  the  lower 
Himalayas.  There  are  the  white-flowered  magnolias, 
at  an  elevation  of  from  four  thousand  to  eight  thousand 
feet,  which  are  then  replaced  by  the  still  more  gorgeous 
purple  magnolia  (Magnolia  GampbeUia) — the  latter 


102  THE    AXIS    AND    PANTHEK. 

being  tH6  most  superb  species  known,  its  Jbrilliant  corol- 
las often  -  arraying  the  sloping  sides  of  the  hills  as  with 
a  rebe  -of  ptirple.  Here,  loo,  our  travellers  observed 
chestnut-trees  of  rare  species,  and  several  kinds  of  oak 
— laurels  also,  not  in  the  form  of  humble  shrubs,  but 
rising  as  tall  trees,  with  straight  smooth  boles,  to  the 
height  of  the  oaks  themselves.  Maples,  too,  were  seen 
mingling  in  the  forest,  and  the  tree  rhododendrons 
growing  forty  feet  high  ! 

What  appeared  singular  to  the  eyes  of  the  botanist, 
was  the  mingling  of  many  European  forms  of  plants 
among  those  of  a  strictly  tropical  character.  For  in- 
stance, there  were  birches,  willows,  alders,  and  walnut- 
trees,  growing  side  by  side  with  the  wild  plantain,  the 
Wallich  palm,  and  gigantic  bamboos ;  while  the  great 
Cedrela  Toona,  figs  of  several  species,  melastomas;  bal- 
sams, pothos  plants,  peppers,  and  gigantic  climbing  vines 
and  orchids,  were  intermixed  with  speedwell,  common 
bramble,  forget-me-not,  and  stinging-nettles,  just  such. 
as  might  have  been  met  with  in  a  European  field! 
Tree  ferns  were  seen  rising  up  and  towering  high  above 
the  common  brake-fern  of  the  English  moors ;  while 
the  wild  strawberry  of  Britain  was  seen  covering  the 
ground  in  patches  of  large  extent.  Its  fruit,  however, 
in  the  Himalayas  is  quite  insipid,  but  a  fine  yellow 
raspberry — one  of  the  most  luscious  fruits  met  with  in 
these  mountains — was  found  growing  in  the  same  dis- 
tricts, as  if  to  compensate  for  the  absence  of  flavor  in 
the  strawberry. 

Under  one  of  these  magnificent  magnolias,  whose 
large  wax-like  corollas  filled  the  air  with  their  odorous 
perfume,  our  travellers  had  just  stretched  themselves — • 


THE    AXIS    AND    PANTHER.  103 

intending,  after  a  few  minutes  of  rest,  to  make  the 
necessary  arrangements  for  passing  the  night  there. 

Ossaroo  was  chewing  his  betel-nut,  and  Karl  and 
Caspar,  both  very  tired,  were  doing  nothing  and  saying 
as  little.  Fritz,  too,  lay  along  the  ground,  with  his 
tongue  out,  and  panting  after  the  hot  day's  rambling 
among  the  bushes. 

Just  at  that  moment,  Caspar,  whose  sharp  hunter  eye 
was  always  on  the  alert,  caught  Karl  by  the  sleeve,  and 
in  a  hurried  whisper,  said, — 

"  See,  Karl !  see  ! — Isn't  it  a  beauty  ?  " 

As  Caspar  said  this,  he  pointed  to  an  animal  that  had 
just  come  out  of  the  jungle,  and  stood  within  a  few  feet 
of  its  edge.  The  creature  in  question  had  the  shape, 
size,  and  general  appearance  of  a  fallow-deer,  and  its 
slender  limbs  and  well  proportioned  body  bespoke  it  to 
be  a  near  kin  to  that  animal.  In  color,  however,  it 
essentially  differed  from  the  fallow-deer.  Its  ground 
color  was  much  the  same,  but  it  was  spotted  all  over 
with  snow-white  spots  that  gave  it  a  very  beautiful  ap- 
pearance. It  looked  somewhat  like  the  young  of  the 
fallow-deer,  and  might  have  been  taken  for  an  over- 
grown fawn.  Karl,  however,  knew  what  it  was. 

"  A  spotted  deer,"  he  replied,  also  in  a  whisper.  "  It 
is  the  axis.  Hold  back  Fritz,  and  let  us  watch  it  a 
moment." 

Karl  had  guessed  correctly  what  kind  of  animal  it 
was.  It  was  the  axis,  one  of  the  best  known  of  the 
Indian  deer,  and  closely  allied  to  the  Rusa  group  of 
Asia  as  well  as  to  the  fallow-deer  of  Europe.  There 
are  several  species  of  the  axis  in  eastern  Asia,  more  or 
less  marked  with  spots,  and  in  no  part  are  they  more 


104  TIIE    AXIS    AND    PANTHER. 

common  than  in  the  country  through  which  the  plant* 
hunters  were  passing — the  country  of  the  Ganges  and 
the  Burrampooter. 

Caspar  caught  Fritz  as  desired,  and  held  him  fast ; 
and  the  travellers,  without  making  any  noise,  sat  watch- 
ing the  movements  of  the  axis. 

To  their  surprise,  another  axis  now  showed  itself 
upon  the  ground,  but  this  one  was  of  such  small  dimen- 
sions that  they  saw  at  once  it  was  the  young  of  the 
first.  It  was  a  tiny  little  fawn,  but  a  few  days  old,  and 
speckled  all  over  with  similar  snow-white  spots. 

The  deer,  unconscious  of  the  presence  of  the  travel- 
lers, walked  several  paces  out  upon  the  meadow,  and 
commenced  browsing  upon  the  grass.  The  little  fawn 
knew  not,  as  yet,  how  to  eat  grass  ;  and  occupied  itself 
by  skipping  and  playing  about  its  mother,  like  a  kid. 

The  hunters,  all  speaking  in  whispers,  now  counselled 
among  themselves  as  to  what  they  should  do.  Ossaroo 
would  have  liked  a  bit  of  venison  for  supper,  and,  cer- 
tainly, the  fawn  was  a  tempting  morceau.  Caspar  voted 
to  kill ;  but  Karl,  of  gentler  nature,  opposed  this  de- 
sign. 

"  A  pity  !  "  he  said.  "  Look,  brother,  how  gentle 
they  appear  ?  Remember  how  we  felt  after  killing  the 
savage  bear,  and  this  would  be  far  worse." 

While  engaged  in  this  undertone  discussion,  a  new 
party  made  his  appearance  upon  the  scene,  which  drove 
all  thoughts  of  killing  the  deer  out  of  the  minds  both  of 
Caspar  and  Ossaroo. 

This  intruder  was  an  animal  quite  as  large  as  the 
axis,  but  of  an  entirely  different  form.  Its  ground- 
colour was  not  unlike  that  of  the  deer,  with  a  deeper 


THE    AXIS    AND    PANTHER.  105 

• 

tinge  of  yellow,  and  it,  too,  was  spotted  all  over  the 
body.  Herein,  however,  a  striking  contrast  existed 
between  the  two.  As  already  stated,  the  spots  upon 
the  axis  were  snow-white ;  while  those  upon  the  new 
comer  were  just  the  reverse — black  as  jet.  Spots  they 
could  hardly  be  termed,  though,  at  a  distance,  they  pre- 
sented that  appearance.  When  closely  viewed,  how- 
ever, it  would  have  been  seen  that  they  were  rather 
rosettes,  or  rings ;  the  centre  part  being  of  the  same 
yellowish  ground-color  as  the  rest  of  the  body. 

The  animal  had  a  stout,  low  body ;  short,  but  strong 
limbs  ;  a  long,  tapering  tail,  and  a  cat-like  head.  The 
last  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  since  it  was  in  reality  a 
cat.  It  was  the  panther. 

The  attention  of  the  hunters  was  at  once  taken 
away  from  the  axis,  and  became  fixed  on  the  great 
spotted  cat,  which  all  three  knew  to  be  a  panther; 
next  to  the  lion  and  tiger,  the  most  formidable  of  Asiatic 
felidce. 

All  knew  that  the  Indian  panther  often  attacks  man  ; 
and  it  was,  therefore,  with  no  very  comfortable  feelings 
that  they  hailed  his  appearance.  The  boys  grasped 
their  guns  more  firmly,  and  Ossaroo  his  bow,  ready  to 
give  the  panther  the  volley,  should  he  approach"  within 
range. 

The  latter,  however,  had  no  design  of  molesting  the 
travellers.  He  was  unaware  of  their  presence.  His 
whole  attention  was  occupied  with  the  axis ;  upon 
whose  ribs,  or,  perhaps,  those  of  the  fawn,  he  intended 
to  make  his  supper. 

With  crouching  gait  and  silent  tread  he  approached 
Lis  intended  victims,  stealing  along  the  edge  of  the 


LOG  THE    AXIS    AND    PANTHER. 

jungle.  In  a  few  seconds,  he  was  near  enough  to  spring, 
and,  as  yet,  the  poor  doe  browsed  unconsciously.  He 
was  just  setting  his  paws  for  the  leap,  and,  in  all  prob- 
ability, would  have  pounced  next  moment  upon  the 
back  of  the  deer,  but,  just  in  the  nick  of  time,  Caspar 
chanced  to  sneeze.  It  was  not  done  designedly,  or  with 
any  intention  of  warning  the  deer ;  for  all  three  of  the 
hunters  were  so  absorbed  in  watching  the  manoeuvres 
of  the  panther,  that  they  never  thought  of  such  a 
thing.  Perhaps  the  powerful  odor  of  the  magnolia 
blossoms  had  been  the  cause  ;  but,  whether  or  no,  Cas- 
par sneezed. 

That  sneeze  was  a  good  thing.  It  saved  the  tender 
mother  and  her  gentle  fawn  from  the  fangs  of  the 
ferocious  panther.  She  heard  it,  and,  raising  her  head 
on  the  instant,  glanced  round.  The  crouching  cat 
came  under  her  eyes  ;  and,  without  losing  a  second  of 
time,  she  sprang  up  to  the  fawn,  seized  the  astonished 
little  creature  in  her  mouth,  and,  bounding  like  an 
arrow  across  the  glade,  was  soon  out  of  sight,  having 
disappeared  into  the  jungle  on  the  opposite  side  ! 

The  panther,  who  had  either  not  heard  or  not  re- 
garded the  sneeze,  sprang  out,  as  he  had  intended,  but 
missed  his  aim.  He  ran  a  few  stretches,  rose  into  the 
air,  and,  a  second  time,  came  down  without  touching 
the  deer ;  and  then,  seeing  that  the  latter  had  sped 
beyond  his  reach,  according  to  the  usual  habit  of  all 
the  felidce,  he  desisted  from  farther  pursuit.  Trotting 
back  whence  he  had  come,  he  entered  the  jungle  before 
the  hunters  could  get  within  shooting  distance  of  him, 
and  was  never  more  seen  by  any  of  the  three. 

As  they  returned  to  camp,  Karl  congratulated  Cas- 


THE   AXIS    AND    PANTHER.  107 

par  for  having  sneezed  so  opportunely  ;  though  Caspar 
acknowledged  that  it  was  quite  accidental,  and  that,  for 
his  part,  he  would  rather  he  had  not  sneezed  at  all,  and 
that  he  had  either  got  a  shot  at  the  panther,  or  had  a 
bit  of  the  fawn  for  his  supper. 


JOS  THE   PESTS    OP   THE    TROPICS. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE    PESTS    OF   THE   TROPICS. 

MUCH  has  been  said  and  written  in  praise  of  the 
bright  sun  and  the  blue  skies  of  tropical  countries ; 
and  travellers  have  dilated  largely  upon  the  magnificent 
fruits,  flowers,  and  foliage  of  tropical  forests.  One 
who  has  never  visited  these  southern  climes  is  disposed 
to  indulge  in  very  fanciful  dreams  of  enjoyment  there. 
Life  would  seem  to  be  luxurious ;  every  scene  appears 
to  be  couleur  de  rose. 

But  Nature  has  not  designed  that  any  portion  of  her 
territory  should  be  favored  beyond  the  rest  to  such  an 
extreme  degree  ;  and,  perhaps,  if  a  just  comparison 
were  instituted,  it  would  be  found  that  the  Esquimaux, 
shivering  in  his  hut  of  snow,  enjoys  as  much  personal 
happiness  as  the  swarth  southerner,  who  swings  in 
his  hammock  under  the  shade  of  a  banyan  or  a  palm- 
tree. 

The  clime  of  the  torrid  zone,  with  its  luxuriant  vege- 
tation, is  also  prolific  of  insect  and  reptile  life ;  and, 
from  this  very  circumstance,  the  denizen  of  a  hot  coun- 
try is  often  subject  to  a  greater  amount  of  personal  dis- 
comfort than  the  dweller  in  the  Arctic  zone.  Even  the 
scarcity  of  vegetable  food,  and  the  bitter,  biting  frost, 


THE    PESTS    OF   THE    TROPICS.  109 

are  far  easier  to  endure  than  the  plague  of  tipulary 
insects  and  reptiles,  which  swarm  between  Cancer  and 
Capricorn. 

It  is  a  well-known  fact,  that  there  are  large  districts 
in  tropical  America  where  human  life  is  scarce  endur- 
able, on  account  of  the  mosquitos,  gnats,  ants,  and 
other  insects. 

Thus  writes  the  great  Prussian  geognosist : — 

"  Persons  who  have  not  navigated  the  rivers  of  equi- 
noctial America  can  scarcely  conceive  how,  at  every 
instant,  without  intermission,  you  may  be  tormented  by 
insects  flying  in  the  air,  an*d  how  the  multitudes  of  these 
little  animals  may  render  vast  regions  almost  uninhab- 
itable. Whatever  fortitude  be  exercised  to  endure  pain 
without  complaint,  whatever  interest  may  be  felt  in  the 
objects  of  scientific  research,  it  is  impossible  not  to 
be  constantly  disturbed  by  the  mosquitos,  zancudos, 
jejens,  and  tempraneros,  that  cover  the  face  and  hands, 
pierce  the  clothes  with  their  long,  needle-formed  suck- 
ers ;  and,  getting  into  the  mouth  and  nostrils,  occasion 
coughing  and  sneezing,  whenever  any  attempt  is  made 
to  speak  in  the  open  air. 

"  In  the  missions  of  the  Orinoco,  in  the  villages  on 
the  banks  of  the  river,  surrounded  by  immense  forests, 
the  plaga  de  las  moscas,  or  plague  of  the  mosquitos, 
affords  an  inexhaustible  subject  of  conversation.  When 
two  persons  meet  in  the  morning,  the  first  questions 
they  address  to  each  other  are  :  *  How  did  you  find  the 
zancudos  during  the  night  ? '  '  How  are  we  to-day  for 
the  mosquitos  ? ' 

"  An  atmosphere  filled  with  venomous  insects  always 
appears  to  be  more  heated  than  it  ia  in  reality.  We 


110  THE   PESTS    OF   THE   TROPICS. 

were  horribly  tormented  in  the  day  by  mosquitos  and 
the  jejen  (a  small  venomous  fly),  and  at  night  by  the 
zancudos,  a  large  species  of  gnat,  dreaded  even  by  the 
natives. 

"At  different  hours  of  the  day  you  are  stung  by 
different  species.  Every  time  that  the  scene  changes, 
and,  to  use  the  simple  expression  of  the  missionaries, 
other  insects  '  mount  guard/  you  have  a  few  minutes—- 
often a  quarter  of  an  hour,  of  repose.  The  insects  that 
disappear  have  not  their  places  instantly  supplied  by 
their  successors.  From  half-past  six  in  the  morning 
till  five  in  the  afternoon  the  air  is  filled  with  mos- 
quitos. An  hour  before  sunset  a  species  of  small 
gnats — called  tempraneros,  because  they  appear  also  at 
sunrise — take  the  place  of  the  mosquitos.  Their  pres- 
ence scarcely  lasts  an  hour  and  a  half.  They  disap- 
pear between  six  and  seven  in  the  evening.  After  a 
few  minutes'  repose,  you  feel  yourself  stung  by  zan- 
cudos, another  species  of  gnat,  with  very  long  legs. 
The  zancudo,  the  proboscis  of  which  contains  a  sharp- 
pointed  sucker,  causes  the  most  acute  pain,  and  a  swell- 
ing that  remains  several  weeks. 

"  The  means  that  are  employed  to  escape  from  these 
little  plagues  are  very  extraordinary.  At  Maypures 
the  Indians  quit  the  village  at  night  to  go  and  sleep  on 
the  little  islets  in  the  midst  of  the  cataracts.  There 
they  enjoy  some  rest,  the  mosquitos  appearing  to  shun 
air  loaded  with  vapors. 

"  Between  the  little  harbor  of  Higuerote  and  the 
mouth  of  the  Rio  Unare  the  wretched  inhabitants  are 
accustomed  to  stretch  themselves  on  the  ground,  and 
pass  the  night  busied  in  the  sand  three  or  four  inches 


THE    PESTS    OF    THE    TROPICS.  Ill 

deep,  leaving  out  the  head  only,  which  they  cover  with 
a  handkerchief. 

"  At  Mandanaca  we  found  an  old  missionary,  who 
told  us  with  an  air  of  sadness  that  he  had  had  his 
*  twenty  years  of  mosquitos*  in  America.  He  desired 
us  to  look  at  his  legs,  that  we  might  be  able  to  tell  one 
day  beyond  sea  '  what  the  poor  monks  suffer  in  the 
forests  of  Cassiquiare.'  Every  sting  leaving  a  small 
darkish  brown  spot,  his  legs  were  so  speckled  that  it 
was  difficult  to  recognize  the  whiteness  of  his  skin, 
through  the  spots  of  coagulated  blood ! " 

Just  such  torments  as  the  great  Prussian  traveller 
suffered  from  insects  in  the  forests  of  South  America, 
our  plant-hunters  had  to  endure  while  passing  through 
the  humid  woods  of  the  Lower  Himalayas.  By  night 
and  by  day  the  air  seemed  filled  with  insects,  in  count- 
less swarms, — large  and  small  moths,  cockchafers,  glow- 
flies,  cockroaches,  winged  ants,  may-flies,  flying  ear- 
wigs, beetles,  and  "  daddy  long-legs."  They  experienced 
the  bite  of  ants  or  the  stings  of  mosquitos  every  mo- 
ment, or  they  were  attacked  by  large  ticks,  a  species  of 
which  infests  the  bamboo,  and  which  is  one  of  the  most 
hateful  of  insects.  These  the  traveller  cannot  avoid 
coming  in  contact  with  while  brushing  through  the  for- 
est. They  get  inside  his  dress,  often  in  great  numbers, 
and  insert  their  proboscis  deeply,  bat  without  pain. 
Buried  head  and  shoulders,  and  retained  by  its  barbed 
lancet,  this  tick  can  only  be  extracted  with  great  force, 
and  the  operation  is  exceedingly  painful. 

But  of  the  tortures  to  which  they  were  subjected  by 
insects  and  reptiles,  there  was  one  more  disagreeable 
and  disgusting  than  all  the  rest,  and  on  their  first  expe- 
rience of  it  the  three  were  quite  horrified. 


112  THE    PESTS    OF   THE    TROPICS. 

It  happened  to  them  on  the  very  day  after  their  ad- 
venture with  the  bear  and  the  bees.  They  had  walked 
several  miles  for  their  morning  stage,  and  the  sun  hav- 
ing grown  quite  hot,  they  agreed  to  rest  for  some  houra 
till  afternoon.  Having  thrown  off  their  packs  and  ac- 
coutrements, all  three  lay  down  upon  the  grass  close  by 
the  edge  of  a  little  stream,  and  under  the  shadow  of  a 
spreading  tree.  The  fatigue  of  the  walk,  combined 
with  the  heated  atmosphere,  had  rendered  them  drowsy, 
and  one  and  all  of  them  fell  fast  asleep. 

Caspar  was  the  first  to  awake.  He  did  not  feel  quite 
comfortable  during  his  sleep.  The  mosquitos  or  some 
other  kind  of  insects  appeared  to  be  biting  him,  and 
this  had  prevented  him  from  sleeping  soundly.  He 
awoke  at  length  and  sat  upright.  The  others  were 
still  asleep  close  by,  and  the  eyes  of  Caspar  by  chance 
rested  upon  Ossaroo,  whose  body  was  more  than  half 
naked,  the  slight  cotton  tunic  having  fallen  aside  and 
exposed  his  breast  to  view  ;  besides,  his  legs  were  bare, 
as  the  shikarree  had  rolled  up  his  trousers  on  account 
of  the  damp  grass  they  had  been  passing  through. 
What  was  the  astonishment  of  Caspar  at  perceiving 
the  naked  part  of  Ossaroo's  body  mottled  with  spots  of 
dark  and  red — the  latter  being  evidently  blotches  of 
blood  !  Caspar  perceived  that  some  of  the  dark  spots 
were  in  motion,  now  lengthening  out,  and  then  closing  up 
again  into  a  smaller  compass  ;  and  it  was  only  after  he 
had  drawn  closer,  and  examined  these  objects  more 
minutely  that  he  was  able  to.determine  what  they  were. 
They  were  leeches  !  Ossaroo  was  covered  with  leeches  ! 

Caspar  uttered  a  cry  that  awoke  both  of  his  com- 
panions on  the  instant. 


THE   PESTS    OF    THE    TROPICS.  118 

Ossaroo  was  not  a  little  disgusted  with  the  fix  he 
found  himself  in,  but  Karl  and  Caspar  did  not  waste 
much  time  in  condoling  with  him,  for  upon  examination 
they  found  that  they  themselves  had  fared  no  better, 
both  of  them  being  literally  covered  with  the  same 
bloodthirsty  reptiles. 

A  scene  now  ensued  that  would  not  be  easy  to  de- 
scribe. All  three  pulled  off  their  garments,  and  went 
to  work  to  extract  the  leeches  with  their  fingers — for 
there  was  no  other  mode  of  getting  rid  of  the  trouble- 
some intruders — and  after  a  full  half-hour  spent  in 
picking  one  another  clean,  they  rapidly  dressed  again, 
and  took  the  route,  desirous  of  getting  away  from  that 
spot  as  quickly  as  possible. 

Of  all  the  pests  of  warm  Oriental  climates,  there  are 
none  so  troublesome  to  the  traveller,  or  so  disgusting, 
as  these  land-leeches.  They  infest  the  humid  woods  on 
the  slopes  of  the  Himalaya  Mountains  from  about  two 
thousand  to  eleven  thousand  feet  of  elevation ;  but  they 
are  not  confined  to  the  Himalayas  alone,  as  they  are 
common  in  the  mountain  forests  of  Ceylon,  Sumatra, 
and  other  parts  of  the  Indies.  There  are  many  species 
of  them — and  even  upon  the  Himalayas  more  than  one 
kind — the  small  black  species  swarming  above  the  ele- 
vation of  three  thousand  feet,  while  a  large  yellow  kind, 
more  solitary,  is  found  farther  down.  They  are  not 
only  troublesome  and  annoying,  but  dangerous.  They 
often  crawl  into  the  fauces,  noses,  and  stomachs  of 
human  beings,  where  they  produce  dreadful  sufferings 
and  even  death.  Cattle  are  subject  to  their  attacks ; 
and  hundreds  perish  in  this  way — the  cause  of  their 
ieath  not  being  always  understood,  and  usually  attrib- 
uted to  some  species  of  vermin. 


114  THE    PESTS    OF   THE   TROPICS. 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  keep  them  off  the  person 
while  travelling  through  a  track  of  woods  infested  by 
them.  If  the  traveller  only  sit  down  for  a  moment, 
they  crawl  upon  him  without  being  perceived.  They 
are  exceedingly  active,  and  move  with  surprising  rapid- 
ity. Indeed,  some  fancy  they  have  the  power  to  spring 
from  the  ground.  Certain  it  is  that  they  possess  the 
powers  of  contraction  and  extension  to  a  very  great 
degree.  When  fully  extended  they  appear  as  thin  as  a 
thread,  and  the  next  moment  they  can  clue  themselves 
up  like  a  pea.  This  power  enables  them  to  pass  rapidly 
from  point  to  point,  and  also  to  penetrate  into  the  small- 
est aperture.  They  are  said  to  possess  an  acute  sense 
of  smell,  and  guided  by  this  they  approach  the  traveller 
the  moment  he  sits  down.  They  will  crowd  up  from 
all  quarters,  until  fifty  or  a  hundred  crawl  upon  one 
person  in  a  few  minutes'  time,  so  that  one  is  kept  busy 
in  removing  them  as  fast  as  they  appear. 

They  occur  in  greatest  numbers  in  moist  shady 
woods,  and  cover  the  leaves  when  heavy  dew  is  on 
them.  In  rain  they  are  more  numerous  than  at  other 
times,  and  then  they  infest  the  paths ;  whereas  in  dry 
weather  they  betake  themselves  into  the  streams,  or  the 
thickly-shaded  interior  of  the  jungle. 

Those  who  know  not  their  haunts,  their  love  of  blood, 
their  keenness  and  immense  numbers,  cannot  understand 
the  disgust  and  annoyance  experienced  from  them  by 
travellers.  They  get  into  the  hair,  hang  by  the  eyelids, 
crawl  up  the  legs,  or  down  the  back,  and  fasten  them- 
selves under  the  instep  of  the  foot ;  and  if  not  removed, 
gorge  themselves  with  blood  tiH  they  roll  off.  Often 
the  traveller  finds  his  boots  filled  with  these  hideous 


THE    PESTS    OF    THE    TROPICS.  115 

creatures  when  arrived  at  tlie  end  of  his  day's  journey. 
Their  wound  at  the  time  produces  no  pain,  but  it  causes 
a  sore  afterwards,  which  is  frequently  months  in  healing, 
and  leaves  a  scar  that  remains  for  y^ears ! 

Many  antidotes  are  adopted,  and  tobacco-juice  or 
snuff  will  keep  them  off  when  applied  over  the  skin ; 
but  in  passing  through  moist  woods  and  the  long  wet 
jungle  grass,  such  applications  require  to  be  continually 
renewed,  and  it  becomes  so  troublesome  and  vexatious 
to  take  these  precautions,  that  most  travellers  prefer 
wearing  long  boots,  tucking  in  their  trousers,  and  then 
keeping  a  good  look-out  for  these  insidious  crawlers. 


116  THE   MUSK-DEER. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE    MUSK-DEER. 

A  FEW  days'  more  journeying  up  the  mountains 
brought  our  travellers  to  the  limits  of  the  forest.  They 
once  more  looked  upon  the  snowy  peaks  of  the  great 
central  chain  towering  up  into  the  clouds.  I  say  once 
more — for  they  had  already  seen  these  peaks  from  the 
plains  of  India  while  still  more  than  a  hundred  miles 
distant  from  them  ;  but,  as  they  approached  nearer,  and 
while  advancing  through  the  foot-hills,  the  snow-covered 
mountains  had  no  longer  been  in  sight ! 

This  may  appear  a  puzzle,  but  it  is  very  easily 
explained.  When  very  near  to  a  house  you  will  be 
unable  to  see  the  steeple  of  a  church  that  is  behind  it ; 
whereas  by  going  to  a  greater  distance  from  the  house, 
the  higher  steeple  comes  at  once  before  your  eyes. 

So  is  it  with  mountains.  From  a  great  distance  their 
highest  peaks  are  those  that  may  be  seen,  but  as  you 
draw  nearer,  their  lower  range,  or  foot-hills,  subtend 
the  angle  of  vision  ;  and  it  is  only  after  having  passed 
through,  or  over  these,  that  you  again  behold  the  more 
elevated  summits. 

Our  travellers  were  now  in  sight  of  the  snowy  sum- 
mits of  the  Himalayas,  several  of  which  rose  to  the 


THE   MUSK-DEER.  117 

stupendous  height  of  five  miles  above  the  level  of  the 
sea — one  or  two  even  exceeding  this  elevation. 

Of  course  it  was  not  the  design  of  the  plant-hunters 
to  attempt  to  climb  to  the  tops  of  any  of  these  gigantic 
mountains.  That  they  well  knew  would  not  be  possible, 
as  it  is  almost  certain  that  at  such  an  elevation  a  human 
being  could  not  live.  Karl,  however,  was  determined 
to  proceed  as  far  as  vegetation  extended ;  for  he  be- 
lieved that  many  rare  and  choice  plants  might  be  found 
even  as  high  as  the  snow-line ;  and  indeed  there  are 
several  species  of  beautiful  rhododendrons,  and  junipers, 
and  pines,  which  grow  only  in  what  may  be  termed  the 
"Arctic  zone  "  of  the  Himalayas. 

With  this  idea,  then,  the  travellers  kept  on — each 
day  getting  higher,  and  farther  into  the  heart  of  the 
great  chain. 

For  two  or  three  days  they  had  been  climbing 
through  wild  desolate  valleys,  quite  without  inhabi- 
tants ;  yet  they  were  able  to  find  plenty  of  food,  as  in 
these  valleys  there  were -animals  of  various  kinds,  and 
with  their  guns  they  had  no  difficulty  in  procuring  a 
supply  of  meat.  They  found  the  "  talin,"  a  species  of 
wild  goat,  the  male  of  which  often  attains  to  the  weight 
of  three  hundred  pounds,  and  a  fine  species  of  deer 
known  in  the  Himalayas  as  the  "  serow."  They  also 
shot  one  or  two  wild  sheep,  known  by  the  name  of 
"  burrell,"  and  an  antelope  called  "  gooral,"  which  is  the 
"  chamois  "  of  the  Indian  Alps. 

It  may  be  as  well  here  to  remark,  fhat  in  the  vast 
extended  chain  of  the  Himalayas,  as  well  as  throughout 
the  high  mountain  steppes  of  Asia,  there  exist  wild 
sheep  and  wild  goats,  as  well  as  deer  and  antelopes,  of  a 


118  THE    MUSK-DEER. 

great  many  species  that  have  never  be^n  described  by 
naturalists.  Indeed,  but  little  more  is  known  of  them 
than  what  has  been  obtained  from  the  notes  of  a  few 
enterprising  English  sportsmen.  It  would  be  safe  to 
conjecture  that  there  are  in  Asia  a  dozen  species  of 
wild  sheep,  and  quite  as  many  belonging  to  the  goat- 
tribe  ;  and  when  that  continent  shall  be  thoroughly 
explored  by  scientific  travellers,  a  very  large  addition 
will  be  made  to  the  catalogue  of  ruminant  animals. 
Nearly  every  extensive  valley  x>r  chain  of  the  Asiatic 
mountains  possesses  some  species  of  the  sheep  or  goat- 
tribe  peculiar  to  itself,  and  differing  from  all  others  of 
the  same  genus ;  and  in  ascending  the  stupendous 
heights  of  the  Himalayas  you  find  that  every  stage  of 
elevation  has-  its  peculiar  species.  Some  dwell  in  dense 
forests,  others  in  those  that  are  thin  and  open.  Some 
prefer  the  grassy  slopes,  while  others  affect  the  barren 
ridges  of  rock.  There  are  those  that  are  found  only 
upon  the  very  limits  of  vegetation,  spending  most  of 
their  lives  within  the  region  of  eternal  snow.  Among 
these  are  the  famed  ibex  and  the  large  wild  sheep 
known  as  the  Ovis  ammon. 

There  was  none  of  the  Himalayan  animals  that  in- 
terested our  travellers  more  than  the  curious  little  crea- 
ture known  as  the  "  musk-deer."  This  is  the  animal 
from  which  the  famous  scent  is  obtained ;  and  which 
is  consequently  a  much  persecuted  creature.  It  dwells 
in  the  Himalayan  Mountains,  ranging  from  an  eleva- 
tion of  about  eignt  thousand  feet  to  the  limits  of  per- 
petual snow,  and  is  an  object  of  the  chase  to  the  hunters 
of  these  regions,  who  make  their  living  by  collecting 
the  musk  and  disposing  of  it  to  the  merchants  of  the 


THE    MUSK-DEER.  ,          119 

plains.  The  animal  itself  is  a  small  creature,  less  in 
size  than  our  fallow-deer,  and  of  a  speckled  brownish 
gray  color,  darker  on  the  hind-quarters.  Its  head  is 
saiall,  its  ears  long  and  upright,  and  it  is  without  horns. 
A  peculiarity  exists  in  the  males  which  renders  them 
easy  to  be  distinguished  from  other  animals  of  the  deer 
kind.  They  have  a  pair  of  tusks  in  the  upper  jaw  pro- 
jecting downwards,  each  full  three  inches  in  length,  and 
about  as  thick  as  a  goose's  quill.  These  give  to  the 
animal  altogether  a  peculiar  appearance.  The  males 
only  yield  the  musk,  which  is  found  in  grains,  or  little 
pellets,  inside  a  sac  or  pod  in  the  skin,  situated  near  the 
navel ;  but  what  produces  this  singular  substance,  or 
what  purpose  it  serves  in  the  economy  of  the  animal, 
it  is  not  easy  to  say.  It  has  proved  its  worst  foe.  But 
for  the  musk  this  harmless  little  deer  would  be  com- 
paratively a  worthless  object  of  the  chase ;  but  as  it  is, 
the  valuable  commodity  has  created  for  it  a  host  of 
enemies,  who  follow  no  other  occupation  but  that  of 
hunting  it  to  the  death. 

The  plant-hunters  had  several  times  seen  musk-deer 
as  they  journeyed  up  the  mountain  ;  but  as  the  animal 
is  exceedingly  shy,  and  one  of  the  swiftest  of  the  deer 
kind,  they  had  not  succeeded  in  getting  a  shot.  They 
were  all  the  more  anxious  to  procure  one,  from  the 
very  difficulty  which  they  had  met  with  in  doing  so. 

One  day  as  they  were  proceeding  up  a  very  wild 
ravine,  among  some  stunted  juniper  and  rhododendron 
bushes,  they  started  from  his  lair  one  of  the  largest 
musk-deer  they  had  yet  seen.  As  he  kept  directly  on, 
and  did  not  seem  to  run  very  fast,  they  determined  to 
pursue  him.  Fritz,  therefore,  was  put  upon  his  trail, 


120  THE    MUSK-DEER. 

and  the  others  followed  as  fast  as  they  were  able  to  get 
over  the  rough  ground. 

They  had  not  gone  far,  when  the  baying  of  the  dog 
told  them  that  the  chase  had  forsaken  the  ravine  in 
which  they  had  first  started  it,  and  had  taken  into  a 
lateral  valley. 

On  arriving  at  the  mouth  of  this  last,  they  perceived 
that  it  was  filled  by  a  glacier.  This  did  not  surprise 
them,  as  they  had  already  seen  several  glaciers  in  the 
mountain  valleys,  and  they  were  every  hour  getting 
farther  within  the  region  of  these  icy  phenomena. 

A  sloping  path  enabled  them  to  reach  the  top  of  the 
glacier,  and  they  now  perceived  the  tracks  of  the  deer. 
Some  snow  had  fallen  and  still  lay  unmelted  upon  the 
icy  surface,  and  in  this  the  foot-prints  of  the  animal 
were  quite  distinct. 

Fritz  had  stopped  at  the  end  of  the  glacier,  as  if  to 
await  further  instructions;  but  without  hesitation  the 
hunters  climbed  up  on  the  ice,  and  followed  the  trail. 


THE    GLACIEK.  121 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE    GLACIER. 

FOB  more  than  a  mile  they  toiled  up  the  sloping 
glacier  which  all  the  way  lay  between  two  vertical 
cliffs. 

That  the  musk-deer  was  still  in  advance  of  them, 
they  had  evidence  from  the  imprint  of  its  tracks. 
Even  without  this  evidence  they  could  not  doubt  that 
the  game  was  still  before  them.  It  would  have  been 
impossible  for  it  to  have  scaled  the  cliffs  on  either  side, 
so  far  as  they  had  yet  seen  them ;  and  as  far  before 
them  as  they  could  see,  both  sides  appeared  equally 
steep  and  impracticable. 

As  the  hunters  advanced,  the  cliffs  gradually  con- 
verged ;  and  at  the  distance  of  a  few  hundred  yards 
before  them,  appeared  to  close  in — as  if  the  ravine 
ended  there,  and  there  was  no  outlet  in  that  direction. 
In  fact  they  appeared  to  be  approaching  the  apex  of  a 
very  acute  angle,  the  sides  of  which  were  formed  by 
the  black  granite  cliffs. 

This  singular  formation  was  just  what  the  hunters 
desired.  If  the  valley  ended  in  a  cul-de-sac,  then  the 
game  would  be  hemmed  in  by  their  approach,  and  they 
might  have  a  chance  of  obtaining  a  shot. 


122  .         THE    GLACIER. 

In  order  the  more  surely  to  accomplish  this,  they 
separated,  and  deployed  themselves  into  a  line  which 
extended  completely  across  the  valley.  In  this  forma- 
tion they  continued  to  advance  upward. 

When  they  first  adopted  this  plan,  the  ravine  was 
about  four  hundred  yards  in  width — so  that  less  than 
one  hundred  lay  between  'each  two  of  them.  These 
equal  distances  they  preserved  as  well  as  they  could, 
but  now  and  then  the  cracks  in  the  icy  mass,  and  the 
immense  boulders  that  lay  over  its  surface,  obliged  one 
or  other  of  them  to  make  considerable  detours.  As 
they  advanced,  however,  the  distance  between  each  two 
grew  less,  in  consequence  of  the  narrowing  of  the 
valley,  until  at  length  a  space  of  only  fifty  yards  sepa- " 
rated  one  from  the  other.  The  game  could  not  now  pass 
them  without  affording  a  fine  opportunity  for  all  to  have 
a  shot ;  and  with  the  expectation  of  soon  obtaining  one, 
they  kept  on  in  high  spirits. 

All  at  once  their  hopes  appeared  to  be  frustrated. 
The  whole  line  came  to  a  halt,  and  the  hunters  stood 
regarding  each  other  with  blank  looks.  Directly  in 
front  of  them  yawned  an  immense  crevasse  in  the  ice, 
full  five  yards  in  width  at  the  top,  and  stretching  across 
the  glacier  from  cliff  to  cliff. 

A  single  glance  into  this  great  fissure  convinced 
them  that  it  was  impassable.  Their  hunt  was  at  an 
end.  They  could  go  no  farther.  Such  was  the  con- 
viction of  all. 

The  glacier  filled  the  whole  ravine  from  cliff  to  cliff. 
There  was  no  space  or  path  between  the  ice  and  the 
rocky  wall.  The  latter  rose  vertically  upward  for  five 
hundred  feet  at  least,  and  no  doubt  extended  downward 


THE    GLACIER.  123 

to  as  great  a  depth.  Indeed,  by  looking  into  the  fissure, 
they  could  trace  the  wall  of  rock  to  an  immense  dis- 
tance downward,  ending  in  the  green  cleft  of  the  ice 
below.  To  look  down  into  that  terrible  abyss  made 
their  heads  reel  with  giddiness ;  and  they  could  only  do 
go  with  safety  by  crawling  up  to  the  edge  of  the  lye, 
and  peeping  over. 

A  glance  convinced  one  and  all  of  them  that  the 
Crevasse  was  impassable. 

But  how  had  the  deer  got  over  it  ?  Surely  it  had 
not  leaped  that  fearful  chasm  ? 

But  surely  it  had.  Close  by  the  edge  its  tracks  were 
traced  in  the  snow,  and  there,  upon  the  lower  side  of 
the  cleft,  was  the  spot  from  which  it  had  sprung.  On 
the  opposite  brink  the  disarrangement  of  the  snow  told 
where  it  had  alighted,  having  cleared  a  space  of  sixteen 
or  eighteen  feet !  This,  however,  was  nothing  to  a 
musk-deer,  that  upon  a  deal  level  often  bounds  to  more 
than  twice  that  length ;  for  these  animals  have  been 
known  to  spring  down  a  slope  to  the  enormous  distance 
of  sixty  feet ! 

The  leap  over  the  crevasse,  therefore,  fearful  as  it 
appeared  in  the  eyes  of  our  hunters,  was  nothing  to  the 
musk-deer,  who  is  as  nimble  and  sure-footed  as  the 
chamois  itself. 

"  Enough ! "  said  Karl,  after  they  had  stood  for  some 
minutes  gazing  into  the  lye.  "  There's  no  help  for  it ; 
we  must  go  back  as  we  came — what  says  Ossaroo  ?  " 

"  You  speakee  true,  Sahib — no  help  for  we — we  no 
get  cross — too  wide  leapee — no  bridge — no  bamboo  for 
makee  bridge — no  tree  here." 

Ossaroo  shook  his  head  dcspondingly  as  he  spoke. 
G* 


124  THE    GLACIEB. 

He  was  vexed  at  losing  the  game — particularly  as  the 
buck  was  one  of  the  largest,  and  might  have  yielded  an 
ounce  or  two  of  musk,  which,  as  Ossaroo  well  knew, 
was  worth  a  guinea  an  ounce  in  the  bazaars  of  Cal- 
cutta. 

The  Hindoo  glanced  once  more  across  the  lye,  and 
then  turning  round,  uttered  an  exclamation,  which  told 
that  he  was  beaten. 

"  Well,  then,  let  us  go  back  !."  said  Karl. 

"Stay,  brother!"  interrupted  Caspar,  "a  thought 
strikes  me.  Had  we  not  better  remain  here  for  a 
while  ?  The  deer  cannot  be  far  off.  It  is,  no  doubt, 
up  near  the  end  of  the  ravine  ;  but  it  won't  stay  there 
long.  There  appears  to  be  nothing  for  it  to  eat  but 
rocks  or  snow,  and  it  won't  be  contented  with  that.  If 
there's  no  outlet  above,  it  must  come  back  this  way 
Now  I  propose  we  lie  in  wait  for  it  a  while,  and  take 
it  as  it  comes  down  again.  What  say  you  to  my 
plan?" 

"  I  see  no  harm  in  trying  it,  Caspar,"  replied  Karl. 
"  We  had  better  separate,  however,  and  each  hide  be- 
hind a  boulder,  else  it  may  see  us,  and  stay  back.  We 
shall  give  it  an  hour." 

"Oh!"  said  Caspar,  "I  think  it'll  tire  of  being  cooped 
up  in  less  time  than  that ;  but  we  shall  see." 

The  party  now  spread  themselves  right  and  left  along 
the  lower  edge  of  the  crevasse — each  choosing  a  large 
rock  or  mass  of  snowy  ice  as  a  cover.  Caspar  went  to 
the  extreme  left,  and  even  to  the-  edge  of  the  glacier, 
where  a  number  of  large  rocks  rested  on  its  surface. 
Having  entered  among  these,  he  was  hidden  from  the 
others,  but  presently  they  heard  him  calling  out, — 


THE    GLACIER.  125 

"  Hurrah  !  come  here ! — a  bridge !  a  bridge ! " 

Karl  and  Ossaroo  left  their  hiding-places,  and  hastened 
to  the  spot. 

On  arriving  among  the  boulders,  they  saw,  to  their 
delight,  that  one  of  the  largest  of  these — an  enormous 
block  of  gneiss — lay  right  across  the  crevasse,  spanning 
it  like  a  bridge,  and  looking  as  though  it  had  been 
placed  there  by  human  hands !  This,  however,  would 
have  been  impossible,  as  the  block  was  full  ten  yards  in 
length,  and  nearly  as  broad  as  it  was  long.  Even  giants 
could  not  have  built  such  a  bridge ! 

A  little  examination  showed  where  it  had  fallen  from 
the  overhanging  precipice — and  it  had  rested  on  the 
glacier,  perhaps,  before  the  great  cleft  had  yawned 
open  beneath  it.  Its  upper  end  overlapped  the  ice  for 
a  breadth  of  scarce  two  feet,  and  it  seemed  a  wonder 
that  so  huge  a  weight  could  be  sustained  by  such  an 
apparently  fragile  prop.  But  there  it  rested ;  and  had 
done  so  for  years — perhaps  for  ages — suspended  over 
the  beetling  chasm,  as  if  the  touch  of  a  feather  would 
precipitate  it  into  the  gulf  below  ! 

If  Karl  had  been  near,  he  might  have  warned  his 
brother  from  crossing  by  such  a  dangerous  bridge ;  but 
before  he  had  reached  the  spot,  Caspar  had  already 
mounted  on  the  rock,  and  was  hurrying  over. 

In  a  few  moments  he  stood  upon  the  opposite  side  of 
the  crevasse ;  and,  waving  his  cap  in  the  air,  shouted 
to  the  rest  to  follow. 

The  others  crossed  as  he  had  done,  and  then  the 
party  once  more  deployed,  and  kept  up  the  ravine, 
which  grew  narrower  as  they  advanced,  and  appeared 
to  be  regularly  closed  in  at  the  top,  by  a  perpendicular 


126  -       THE    GLACIER. 

wall.  Surely  the  deer  could  not  escape  them  much 
longer  ? 

"  What  a  pity,"  said  Caspar,  "  we  could  not  throw 
down  that  great  stone  and  widen  the  crack  in  the  ice,  so 
that  the  deer  could  not  leap  over  it !  "We  should  then 
have  it  nicely  shut  up  here." 

"Aye,  Caspar,"  rejoined  Karl,  "and  where  should 
we  be  then  ?  Shut  up  too,  I  fear." 

«  True,  brother,  I  did  not  think  of  that.  What  a 
terrible  thing  it  would  be  to  be  imprisoned  between 
these  black  cliffs  !  It  would,  I  declare." 

The  words  had  scarce  issued  from  Caspar's  lip,  when 
a  crash  was  heard  like  the  first  bursting  of  a  thunder- 
clap, and  then  a  deafening  roar  echoed  up  the  ravine, 
mingled  with  louder  peals,  as  though  the  eternal  moun- 
tains were  being  rent  asunder ! 

The  noise  reverberated  from  the  black  cliffs ;  eagles, 
that  had  been  perched  upon  the  rocks,  rose  screaming 
into  the  air ;  beasts  of  prey  howled  from  their  lurking- 
places  ;  and  the  hitherto  silent  valley  was  all  at  once 
filled  with  hideous  noises,  as  though  it  were  the  doom 
of  the  world ! 


THE    GLACIER    SLIDE.  127 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

THE    GLACIER   SLIDE. 

"  AN  avalanche ! "  cried  Karl  Linden,  as  the  first 
crash  fell  upon  his  ear ;  but  on  turning,  he  saw  his 
mistake. 

"  No,"  he  continued,  with  a  look  of  terror,  "  it  is  not 
an  avalanche  !  My  God !  my  God !  the  glacier  is  in 
motion  !  " 

He  did  not  need  to  point  out  the  spot.  The  eyes  of 
Caspar  and  Ossaroo  were  already  turned  upon  jt. — 
Away  down  the  ravine  as  far  as  they  could  see  the  sur- 
face of  the  glacier  appeared  in  motion,  like  sea-billows  ; 
huge  blocks  of  ice  were  thrown  to  the  top  and  rolled 
over,  with  a  rumbling  crashing  noise,  while  large  blue 
fragments  raised  high  above  the  general  surface,  were 
grinding  and  crumbling  to  pieces  against  the  faces  of 
the  cliffs.  A  cloud  of  snow-spray,  rising  like  a  thick 
white  mist,  filled  the  whole  ravine — as  if  to  conceal  tho 
work  of  ruin  that  was  going  on — and  underneath  this 
ghostly  veil,  the  crushing  and  tearing  for  some  moments 
continued.  Then  all  at  once  the  fearful  noises  ceased, 
and  only  the  screaming  of  the  birds,  and  the  howling  of 
beasts,  disturbed  the  silence  of  the  place. 

Pale,  shuddering,  almost  paralyzed  by  fear,  the  hunt- 


128  "THE    GLACIER    SLIDE. 

ers  had  thrown  themselves  on  their  hands  and  knees, 
expecting  every  moment  to  feel  the  glacier  move  beneath 
them, — expecting  to  sink  beneath  the  surface,  or  be 
crushed  amidst  the  billows  »of  that  icy  sea.  So  long  as 
the  dread  sounds  echoed  in  their  ears,  their  hearts  were 
filled  with  consternation,  and  long  after  the  crashing  and 
crackling  ceased,  they  remained  the  victims  of  a  ter- 
rible suspense ;  but  they  felt  that  that  portion  of  the 
glacier  upon  which  they  were  did  not  move.  It  still 
remained  firm  ;  would  it  continue  so  ? 

They  knew  not  the  moment  it,  too,  might  commence 
sliding  downward,  and  bury  them  under  its  masses,  or 
crush  them  in  some  deep  crevasse. 

O  heavens !  the  thought  was  fearful.  It  had  par- 
alyzed them  for  a  moment ;  and  for  some  time  after  the 
noises  had  ceased,  they  remained  silent  and  motionless. 
Indeed,  absurd  as  it  may  seem,  each  dreaded  to  stir,  lest 
the^very  motion  of  his  body  might  disturb  the  icy  mass 
upon  which  he  was  kneeling ! 

Reflection  soon  came  to  their  aid.  It  would  never 
do  to  remain  there.  They  were  still  exposed  to  the 
danger.  Whither  could  they  retreat  ?  Up  the  ravine 
might  be  safer  ?  Above  them  the  ice  had  not  yet  stir- 
red. The  ruin  had  all  been  below — below  the  crevasse 
they  had  just  crossed. 

Perhaps  the  rocks  would  afford  a  footing  ?  They 
would  not  move,  at  all  events,  even  if  the  upper  part  of 
the  glacier  should  give  way ;  but  was  there  footing  to 
be  found  upon  them  ? 

They  swept  their  eyes  along  the  nearest  cliff.  It 
offered  but  little  hope.  Yes — upon  closer  inspection 
there  was  a  ledge — a  very  narrow  one,  but  yet  capable 


THE    GLACIER    SLIDE.  129 

of  giving  refuge  to  two  or  three  men  ;  and,  above  all, 
it  was  easy  of  access.  It  would  serve  their  purpose. 

Like  men  seeking  shelter  from  a  heavy  shower,  or 
running  to  get  out  of  the  way  of  some  impending  dan- 
ger, all  three  made  for  the  ledge;  and  after  some 
moments  spent  in  sprawling  and  climbing  against  the 
cliff,  they  found  themselves  standing  safely  upon  it- 
Small  standing-room  they  had.  Had  there  been  a 
fourth,  the  place  would  not  have  accommodated  him. 
There  was  just  room  enough  for  the  three  side  by  side, 
and  standing  erect. 

Small  as  the  space  was,  it  was  a  welcome  haven  of 
refuge.  It  was  the  solid  granite,  and  not  the  fickle  ice. 
It  looked  eternal  as  the  hills ;  and,  standing  upon  it, 
they  breathed  freely. 

But  the  danger  was  not  over,  and  their  apprehensions 
were  still  keen.  Should  the  upper  part  of  the  glacier 
give  way,  what  then  ?  Although  it  could  not  reach 
them  where  they  stood,  the  surface  might  sink  far  below 
its  present  level,  and  leave  them  on  the  cliff — upon  that 
little  ledge  on  the  face  of  a  black  precipice  ! 

Even  if  the  upper  ice  held  firm,  there  was  another 
thought  that  now  troubled  them.  Karl  knew  that  what 
had  occurred  was  a  glacier  slide — a  phenomenon  that  few 
mortals  have  witnessed.  He  suspected  that  the  slide 
had  taken  place  in  that  portion  of  the  glacier  below  the 
crevasse  they  had  just  crossed.  If  so,  the  lye  would  be 
widened,  the  huge  gneiss  rock  that  bridged  it  gone,  and 
their  retreat  down  the  glacier  cut  off! 

Upward  they  beheld  nothing  but  the  beetling  cliffs 
meeting  together.  No  human  foot  could  scale  them.— 
If  no  outlet  offered  in  that  direction,  then,  indeed,  might 


130  THE    GLACIER    SLIDE. 

the  jesting  allusion  of  Caspar  be  realized.  They  might 
be  imprisoned  between  those  walls  of  black  granite,  with 
nought  but  ice  for  their  bed,  and  the  sky  for  their  ceil- 
ing. It  was  a  fearful  supposition,  but  all  three  did  not 
fail  to  entertain  it. 

As  yet  they  could  not  tell  whether  their  retreat  down- 
wards was  in  reality  cut  off.  Where  they  stood  an 
abutment  of  the  cliff  hid  the  ravine  below.  They  had 
rushed  to  their  present  position,  with  the  first  instinct  of 
preservation.  In  their  flight,  they  had  not  thought  of 
looking  either  toward  the  crevasse  or  the  gneiss  rock.— 
Other  large  boulders  intervened,  and  they  had  not  ob- 
served whether  it  was  gone.  They  trembled  to  think 
of  such  a  thing. 

The  hours  passed ;  and  still  they  dared  not  descend 
to  the  glacier.  Night  came  on,  and  they  still  stood  upon 
their  narrow  perch.  They  hungered,  but  it  would  have 
been  of  no  use  to  go  down  to  the  cold  icy  surface.  That 
would  not  have  satisfied  their  appetite. 

All  night  long  they  remained  standing  upon  the  nar- 
row ledge ;  now  on  one  foot,  now  on  the  other,  now 
resting  their  backs  against  the  granite  wall,  but  all  night, 
without  closing  an  eye  in  sleep.  The  dread  of  the  ca- 
pricious ice  kept  them  on  their  painful  perch. 

They  could  bear  it  no  longer.  With  the  first  light  of 
morning  they  determined  upon  descending. 

The  ice  had  remained  firm  during  the  night.  No 
farther  noises  had  been  heard.  They  gradually  recov-. 
ered  confidence ;  and  as  soon  as  the  day  began  to  break, 
all  three  left  the  ledge,  and  betook  themselves  once 
more  to  the  glacier. 

At  first  they  kept  close  to  the  cliff;  but,  after  a  while, 


THE    GLACIER    SLIDE.  131 

ventured  out  far  enough  to  get  *a  view  of  the  ravine 
below. 

Caspar  mounted  upon  a  rocky  boulder  that  lay  upon 
the  surface  of  the  glacier.  From  the  'top  of  this  he 
could  see  over  the  others.  The  crevasse  was  many 
yards  wide.  The  bridge-rock  was  gone  ! 


132  THE  PASS. 


CHAPTER  XXIH. 

THE  PASS. 

THE  philosophy  of  the  movement  of  glaciers  is  but  ill 
understood,  even  by  the  most  accomplished  geologists. 
It  is  supposed  that  the  under  surface  of  these  great  icy 
masses  is  detached  from  the  ground  by  the  thaw  which 
continually  takes  place  there,  caused  by  the  radiating 
heat  of  the  earth.  Water  is  also  an  agent  in  loosening 
their  hold ;  for  it  is  well  known  that  currents  of  water, 
— sometimes  large  streams, — run  under  the  glaciers. 
The  icy  mass  thus  detached,  and  resting  on  an  inclined 
surface,  is  carried  down  by  its  own  weight. 

Sometimes  only  a  very  small  portion  of  a  glacier 
moves,  causing  a  fissure  above  the  part  that  has  given 
way ;  and  at  other  times  these  fissures  are  closed  up,  by 
the  sliding  of  that  portion  next  above  them.  An  un- 
usually hot  summer  produces  these  effects  upon  the 
glacier  ice,  combined  with  the  falling  of  avalanches,  or 
mountain  slides,  which,  with  their  weight,  serve  to  im- 
pel the  icy  mass  downwards. 

The  weight  of  our  three  hunters  was  but  as  a  feather, 
and  could  have  had  no  effect  in  giving  motion  to  the 
glacier  ;  but  it  is  possible  that  the  gneiss  rock  was  just 
upon  the  balance  when  they  crossed  it.  Thawed  around 


THE   PASS.  133 

its  surface,  it  had  no  cohesion  with  the  ice  on  which  it 
rested  ;  and,  as  a  feather  turns  the  scale,  their  crossing 
upon  it  may  have  produced  a  motion,  which  resulted  in 
its  fall. 

So  vast  a  mass  hurled  into  the  great  cleft,  and  acting 
as  a  driven  wedge,  may  have  been  the  feather's  touch 
that  imparted  motion  to  a  section  of  the  glacier,  already 
hanging  upon  the  balance,  and  ready  to  slide  down- 
wards. 

Whether  or  not  they  had  any  agency  in  producing 
this  fearful  phenomenon,  our  travellers  reflected  not  at 
the  time.  They  were  far  too  much  terrified  at  the  re- 
sult to  speculate  upon  causes.  One  after  another  they 
mounted  upon  the  great  boulder,  and  satisfied  them- 
selves of  the  facts  that  the  crevasse  had  widened, — the 
bridge-rock  had  disappeared, — and  their  retreat  was  cut 
off! 

After  a  little,  they  ventured  closer  to  the  fearful 
chasm.  They  climbed  upon  a  ledge  of  the  precipice, 
that  gave  them  a  better  view  of  it. 

From  this  elevation  they  could  partially  see  into  the 
cleft.  At  the  surface  it  was  many  yards  wide.  It  ap- 
peared to  be  hundreds  of  feet  in  depth.  Human  agency 
could  not  have  bridged  it.  All  hope  of  getting  back 
down  the  glacier  was  at  an  end ;  and  with  consterna- 
tion in  their  looks,  they  turned  their  faces  away,  and 
commenced  ascending  towards  the  head  of  the  ravine. 

They  advanced  with  timid  steps.  They  spoke  not 
at  all,  or  only  in  low  murmuring  voices.  They  looked 
right  and  left,  eagerly  scanning  the  precipice  on  both 
sides.  On  each  side  of  them  towered  the  black  cliffs, 
like  prison  walls,  frowning  and  forbidding.  No  ledge 


134  THE   PASS. 

of  any  size  appeared  on  either ;  no  terrace,  no  sloping 
ravine,  that  might  afford  them  a  path  out  of  that  dark 
valley.  The  cliffs,  sheer  and  smooth,  presented  no  hold 
for  the  human  foot.  The  eagles,  and  other  birds  that 
Bcreamed  over  their  heads,  alone  could  scale  them. 

Still  they  had  noff  lost  hope.  The  mind  does  not 
yield  to  despair  without  full  conviction.  As  yet  they 
were  not  certain  that  there  was  no  outlet  to  the  ravine ; 
and  until  certain  they  would  not  despair. 

They  observed  the  tracks  of  the  musk-deer  as  they 
went  on.  But  these  were  no  longer  fresh  ;  it  was  the 
trail  of  yesterday. 

They  followed  this  trail  with  renewed  hopes, — with 
feelings  of  joy.  But  it  was  not  the  joy  of  the  hunter 
who  expects  ere  long  to  overtake  his  game.  No, 
directly  the  reverse.  Hungry  as  all  three  were,  they 
feared  to  overtake  the  game ;  they  dreaded  the  dis- 
covery of  fresh  tracks ! 

You  will  wonder  at  this ;  but  it  is  easily  explained. 
They  had  reasoned  with  themselves,  that  if  there  existed 
any  outlet  above,  the  deer  would  have  gone  out  by  it. 
If  the  contrary,  the  animal  would  still  be  found  near 
the  head  of  the  ravine.  Nothing  would  have  been  less 
welcome  than  the  sight  of  the  deer  at  that  moment. 

Their  hopes  rose  as  they  advanced.  No  fresh  tracks 
appeared  upon  the  glacier.  The  trail  of  the  musk-deer 
still  continued  onward  and  upward.  The  creature  had 
not  halted,  nor  even  strayed  to  either  side.  It  had  gone 
straight  on,  as  though  making  for  some  retreat  already 
known  to  it.  Here  and  there  it  had  made  detours ;  but 
these  had  been  caused  by  lyes  in  the  ice,  or  boulders, 
that  lay  across  the  path. 


THE    PASS.  135 

With  beating  hearts  the  trackers  kept  on  ;  now  scan- 
ning the  cliffs  on  each  hand,  now  bending  their  eyes  in 
advance. 

At  length  they  saw  themselves  within  a  hundred 
paces  of  the  extreme  end  of  the  ravine,  and  yet  no 
opening  appeared.  The  precipice  rose  high  and  sheer 
as  ever,  on  the  right,  on  the  left,  before  their  faces. 
Nor  break  nor  path  cheered  their  eyes. 

Where  could  the  deer  have  gone  ?  The  ground 
above  was  pretty  clear  of  debris.  There  were  some 
loose  rocks  lying  on  one  side.  Had  it  hidden  behind 
these  ?  If  so,  they  would  soon  find  it ;  for  they  were 
within  a  few  paces  of  the  rocks. 

They  approached  with  caution.  They  had  prepared 
their  weapons  for  a  shot.  Despite  their  fears,  they  had 
still  taken  some  precautions.  Hunger  instigated  them 
to  this. 

Caspar  was  sent  on  to  examine  the  covert  of  rocks, 
while  Karl  and  the  shikarree  remained  in  the  rear  to 
intercept  the  deer  if  it  attempted  to  retreat  down  the 
ravine. 

Caspar  approached  with  due  caution.  He  crawled 
silently  up  to  the  boulders.  He  placed  himself  close  to 
the  largest ;  and,  raising  his  head,  peeped  over  it. 

There  was  no  deer  behind  the  rock,  nor  any  traces  of 
it  in  the  show. 

He  passed  on  to  the  next,  and  then  to  the  next. 
This  brought  him  into  a  new  position,  and  near  the 
head  of  the  ravine  ;  so  that  he  could  now  see  the  whole 
surface  of  the  glacier. 

There  was  no  musk-deer  to  be  seen  ;  but  a  spectacle 
greeted  his  eyes  far  more  welcome  than  the  sight  of 


136  THE    PASS. 

the  largest  herd  of  deer  could  have  been  to  the  keenest 
hunter  ;  and  a  cry  of  joy  escaped  him  on  the  instant 

He  was  seen  to  start  out  from  the  rocks,  shouting  as 
he  ran  across  the  ravine, — 

"  Come  on,  brother  !  we  are  safe  yet !  There's  a 
pass  !  there's  a  pass  ! " 


THE   LONE   MOUNTAIN   VALLEY.  137 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE  LONE  MOUNTAIN  VALLEY. 

A  PASS  there  was,  sure  enough,  that  openexl  between 
the  cliffs  like  a  great  gate.  Why  they  had  not  per- 
ceived it  sooner  was  because  the  gorge  bent  a  little  to 
the  right  before  opening  to  this  outlet ;  and,  of  course, 
the  bend  from  a  distance  appeared  to  be  the  termina- 
tion of  the  ravine. 

A  hundred  yards  from  the  bend  brought  them  into 
the  great  gate  between  the  cliffs,  and  there  a  view 
opened  before  their  eyes  that  filled  their  hearts  with  joy 
and  admiration. 

Perhaps  in  all  the  world  they  could  not  have  looked 
upon  a  more  singular  landscape.  Right  before  their 
faces,  and  somewhat  below  the  level  on  which  they 
stood,  lay  a  valley.  It  was  nearly  of  a  circular  shape, 
and,  perhaps,  a  league  or  more  in  circumference.  In 
the  middle  of  this  valley  was  a  lake  several  hundred 
yards  in  diameter.  The  whole  bottom  of  the  valley 
appeared  to  be  a  plane,  but  slightly  elevated  above  the 
water  level,  consisting  of  green  meadows,  beautifully 
\nterpersed  with  copses  of  shrubbery  and  clumpa  of 
trees,  with  foliage  of  rich  and  varied  colors.  What 
Appeared  to  be  droves  of  cattle  and  herds  of  deer  were 


138        THE  LONE  MOUNTAIN  VALLEY. 

browsing  on  the  meadows,  or  wandering  around  the 
copses  ;  while  flocks  of  waterfowl  disported  themselves 
over  the  blue  water  of  the  lake. 

So  park-like  was  the  aspect  of  this  sequestered  val- 
ley, that  the  eyes  of  our  travellers  instinctively  wan- 
dered over  its  surface  in  search  of  human  dwellings  or 
the  forms  of  human  beings  ;  and  were  only  astonished 
at  not  perceiving  either.  They  looked  for  a  house, — a 
noble  mansion, — a  palace  to  correspond  to  that  fair 
park.  They  looked  for  chimneys  among  the  trees — for 
the  ascending  smoke.  No  trace  of  all  these  could  be 
detected.  A  smoke  there  was,  but  it  was  not  that  of  a 
fire.  It  was  a  white  vapor  that  rose  near  one  side  of 
the  valley,  curling  upward  like  steam.  This  surprised 
and  puzzled*  them.  They  could  not  tell  what  caused 
it,  but  they  could  tell  that  it  was  not  the  smoke  of  a 
fire. 

But  the  form  of  the  valley — its  dimensions — its  cen- 
tral lake — its  green  meadows  and  trees — its  browsing 
herds — its  wild  fowl  might  have  been  seen  elsewhere. 
All  these  things  might  occur,  and  do  occur  in  many 
parts  of  the  earth's  surface  without  the  scene  being 
regarded  as  singular  or  remarkable.  It  was  not  these 
that  have  led  us  to  characterize  the  landscape  in  ques- 
tion as  one  of  the  most  singular  in  the  world.  No — its 
singularity  rested  upon  other  circumstances. 

One  of  these  circumstances  was,  that  around  the 
valley  there  appeared  a  dark  belt  of  nearly  equal 
breadth,  that  seemed  to  hem  it  in  as  with  a  gigantic 
fence.  A  little  examination  told  that  this  dark  belt  was 
a  line  of  cliffs,  that,  rising  up  from  the  level  bottom  on 
all  sides,  fronted  the  valley  and  the  lake.  In  other 


THE   LONE   MOUNTAIN   VALLEY.  139 

words, -the  valley  was  surrounded  by  a  precipice.  In 
the  distance  it  appeared  only  a  few  yards  in  height,  but 
that  might  be  a  deception  of  the  eye. 

Above  the  black  line  another  circular  belt  encom- 
passed the  valley.  It  was  the  sloping  sides  of  bleak 
barren  mountains.  Still  another  belt  higher  up  was 
formed  by  the  snowy  crests  of  the  same  mountains— 
here  in  roof-like  ridges,  there  in  rounded  domes,  or 
sharp  cone-shaped  peaks,  that  pierced  the  heavens  far 
above  the  line  of  eternal  snow. 

There  seemed  to  be  no  way  of  entrance  into  this 
singular  basin  except  over  the  line  of  black  cliff.  The 
gap  in  which  our  travellers  stood,  and  the  ravine 
through  which  they  had  ascended  appeared  to  be  its 
only  outlet ;  and  this,  filled  as  it  was  by  glacier  ice, 
raised  the  summit  of  the  pass  above  the  level  of  the 
valley;  but  a  sloping  descent  over  a  vast  debris  of 
fallen  rocks — the  "moraine"  of  the  glacier  itself — 
afforded  a  path  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  valley. 

For  several  minutes  all  three  remained  in  the  gap, 
viewing  this  strange  scene  with  feelings  that  partook  of 
the  nature  of  admiration — of  wonder — of  awe.  The 
sun  was  just  appearing  over  the  mountains,  and  his 
rays,  falling  upon  the  crystallized  snow,  were  refracted 
to  the  eyes  of  the  spectators  in  all  the  colors  of  the 
rainbow.  The  snow  itself  in  one  place  appeared  of  a 
roseate  color,  while  elsewhere  it  was  streaked  and  mot- 
tled with  golden  hues.  The  lake,  too — here  rippled  by 
the  sporting  fowl,  there  lying  calm  and  smooth — reflected 
from  its  blue  disk  the  white  cones  of  the  mountains,  the 
darker  belting  of  the  nearer  cliffs,  or  the  green  foliage 
upon  its  shores. 


140  THE   LONE   MOUNTAIN    VALLEY. 

For  hours  Karl  Linden  could  have  gazed  upon  that 
fairy-like  scene.  Caspar,  of  ruder  mould,  was  entranced 
by  its  beauty ;  and  even  the  hunter  of  the  plains — the 
native  of  palm-groves  and  cane  fields— confessed  he 
had  never  beheld  so  beautiful  a  landscape.  All  of  them 
were  well  acquainted  with  the  Hindoo  superstition  con- 
cerning the  Himalaya  Mountains.  The  belief  that  in 
lonely  valleys  among  the  more  inaccessible  peaks,  the 
Brahmin  gods  have  their  dwelling  and  their  home ;  and 
they  could  not  help  fancying  at  that  moment  that  the 
superstition  might  be  true.  Certainly,  if  it  were  true, 
some  one  of  these  deities,  Vishnu,  or  Siva,  or  even 
Brahma  himself,  must  dwell  in  that  very  valley  that 
now  lay  before  them. 

But  poetical  and  legendary  sentiment  soon  vanished 
from  the  minds  of  our  travellers.  All  three  were  hun- 
gry— hungry  as  wolves — and  the  ruling  thought  at  the 
moment  was  to  find  the  means  for  satisfying  their  appe- 
tites. 

With  this  intent,  therefore,  they  strode  forward  out 
of  the  gap,  and  commenced  descending  towards  the 
bottom  of  the  valley. 


GRUNTING    OXEN.  141 


CHAPTER   XXV. 

GRUNTING   OXEN. 

THERE  were  several  kinds  of  animals  in  sight,  but  it 
was  .natural  that  the  hungry  hunters  should  choose 
those  that  were  nearest  for  their  game.  The  nearest 
also  chanced  to  be  the  largest — though  in  the  flock  there 
were  individuals  of  different  sizes,  from  the  bigness  of  a 
large  ox  to  that  of  a  Newfoundland  dog.  There  were 
about  a  dozen  in  all,  evidently  of  one  kind,  and  the 
difference  in  size  and  other  respects  arose  from  a  differ- 
ence of  age  and  sex. 

What  sort  of  animals  they  were,  not  one  of  the  party 
could  tell.  Even  Ossaroo  did  not  know  them.  He  had 
never  seen  such  creatures  on  the  plains  of  India.  It 
was  evident  to  all,  however,  that  they  were  some  species 
of  oxen  or  buffaloes,  since  they  bore  a  general  resem- 
blance to  animals  of  the  family  of  bovidce.  First  there 
was  the  great  massive  bull,  the  patriarch  of  the  herd, 
standing  nearly  as  tall  as  a  horse,  and  quite  as  tall  reck- 
oning from  the  top  of  the  stately  hump  on  his  shoulders. 
His  curved  horns  spreading  outward  rose  from  a  mass 
of  thick  curled  hair,  giving  him  the  fierce  aspect  which 
characterizes  animals  of  the  buffalo  kind.  But  his 
chief  peculiarity  lay  in  the  drapery  of  long  silky  hair, 


142  GRUNTING    OXEN. 

that  from  his  sides,  flanks,  neck,  belly,  and  thighs,  hung 
downward  until  its  tips  almost  dragged  upon  the  grass. 
This  singular  appendage  gave  the  animal  the  appear- 
ance of  being  short-legged,  and  the  massive  thickness 
of  the  legs  themselves  added  to  the  effect. 

Karl  could  not  help  remarking  in  the  old  bull  a  con- 
siderable resemblance  to  the  rare  musk-ox  of  America ; 
an  animal  with  which  he  was  acquainted,  from  having 
seen  stuffed  specimens  in  the  museums.  He  noted, 
however,  that  there  was  one  point  in  which  the  musk- 
ox  differed  essentially  from  the  species  before  him — in 
regard  to  the  tail.  The  musk-ox  is  almost  tailless  ;  or, 
rather,  his  tail  is  so  small  as  to  be  quite  inconspicuous 
amidst  the  long  masses  of  hair  that  adorn  his  croup ; 
whereas  the  strange  creature  before  them  was  remark- 
able for  the  large  development  of  this  appendage, 
which  swept  downward,  full  and  wide,  like  the  tail  of 
a  horse.  The  color  of  the  bull's  body  appeared  black 
in  the  distance,  though,  in  reality,  it  was  not  black,  but 
of  a  dark,  chocolate  brown ;  the  tail,  on  the  contrary, 
was  snow-white,  which,  from  this  contrast  in  color, 
added  to  the  singularity  of  the  animal's  appearance. 

There  was  but  one  large  bull  in  the  herd  ;  evidently 
the  lord  and  master  of  all  the  others.  These  consisted 
of  the  females  or  cows,  and  the  young.  The  cows  were 
much  smaller,  scarce  half  the  size  of  the  old  bull ; 
their  horns  less  massive,  and  the  tails  and  long  hair  less 
full  and  flowing. 

Of  the  young,  there  were  some  of  different  ages; 
from  the  half-grown  bull  or  heifer,  to  the  calves  lately 
dropped ;  which  last  were  tearing  about  over  the 
ground,  and  gambolling  by  the  feet  of  their  mothers. 


GRUNTING    OXEN.  143 

About  these  little  creatures  there  was  a  peculiarity. 
The  long  hair  upon  their  flanks  and  sides  had  not  yet 
made  its  appearance  ;  but  their  whole  coat  was  black 
and  curly,  just  like  that  of  a  water-spaniel,  or  New- 
foundland dog.  In  the  distance,  they  bore  a  striking 
resemblance  to  these  animals ;  and  one  might  have  fan- 
cied the  herd  to  be  a  flock  of  buffaloes,  with  a  number 
of  black  dogs  running  about  in  their  midst. 

"  Whatever  they  be,"  remarked  Caspar,  "  they  look 
like  they  might  be  eatable.  I  think  they're  beef  of  some 
kind." 

"  Beef,  venison,  or  mutton — one  of  the  three,"  re- 
joined Karl. 

Ossaroo  was  not  particular  at  that  moment.  He 
could  have  picked  a  rib  of  wolf-meat,  and  thought  it 
palatable. 

"  Well,  we  must  stalk  them,"  continued  Karl.  "  I 
see  no  other  way  of  getting  near  them  but  by  crawling 
through  yonder  copse." 

The  speaker  pointed  to  a  grove,  near  which  the  ani- 
mals were  browsing. 

Caspar  and  Ossaroo  agreed  with  this  suggestion,  and 
all  three,  having  now  reached  the  bottom  of  the  descent, 
commenced  their  stalk. 

Without  any  difficulty,  they  succeeded  in  reaching 
the  copse ;  and  then,  creeping  silently  through  the 
underwood,  they  came  to  that  edge  of  it  which  was 
closest  to  the  browsing  herd.  The  bushes  were  ever- 
greens— rhododendrons — and  formed  excellent  cover 
for  a  stalk ;  and,  as  yet,  the  game  had  neither  seen,  nor 
heard,  nor  smelt  the  approaching  enemy.  They  were 
too  distant  for  the  arrows  of  Ossaroo,  therefore  Ossaroo 


144  GRUNTING    OXEN. 

could  do  nothing ;  but  they  were  within  excellent  range 
of  the  rifle  and  double-barrel,  loaded,  as  the  latter  was, 
with  large  buck-shot. 

Karl  whispered  to  Caspar  to  choose  one  of  the  calves 
for  the  first  barrel,  while  he  himself  aimed  at  the  larger 
game. 

The  bull  was  too  distant  for  either  bullet  or  buck- 
shot. He  was  standing  apart,  apparently  acting  as 
sentry  to  the  herd,  though  this  time  he  did  not  prove 
a  watchful  guardian.  He  had  some  suspicion,  however, 
that  all  was  not  right ;  for,  before  they  could  fire,  he 
seemed  to  have  caught  an  alarm,  and,  striking  the 
ground  with  his  massive  hoofs,  he  uttered  a  strange 
noise,  that  resembled  the  grunting  of  a  hog.  So  ex- 
actly did  it  assimilate  to  this,  that  our  hunters,  for  the 
moment,  believed  there  were  pigs  in  the  place,  and  act- 
ually looked  around  to  discover  their  whereabouts. 

A  moment  satisfied  them,  that  the  grunting  came 
from  the  bull ;  and,  without  thinking  any  more  about  it, 
Karl  and  Caspar  levelled  their  pieces,  and  fired. 

The  reports  reverberated  through  the  valley ;  and 
the  next  moment  the  whole  herd,  with  the  bull  at  their 
head,  were  seen  going  in  full  gallop  across  the  plain. 
Not  all  of  them,  however.  A  calf,  and  one  of  the  cows, 
lay  stretched  upon  the  sward,  to  the  great  delight  of  the 
hunters,  who,  rushing  forth  from  their  cover,  soon  stood 
triumphant  over  the  fallen  game. 

A  word  or  two  passed  between  them.  They  had 
determined  on  first  cooking  the  calf,  to  appease  their 
hunger,  and  were  about  proceeding  to  skin  it,  when  a 
long,  loud  grunting  sounded  in  their  ears  ;  and,  on  look- 
ing around,  they  beheld  the  {jreat  bull  coming  full  tilt 


GRUNTING    OXEN.  145 

0 

towards  them,  his  head  lowered  to  the  ground,  and  his 
large,  lustrous  eyes  flashing  with  rage  and  vengeance. 
He  had  only  retreated  a  short  distance,  fancying,  no 
doubt,  that  his  whole  family  was  after  him ;  but,  on 
missing  two  of  its  members,  he  was  now  on  his  return 
to  rescue  or  revenge  them. 

Strange  as  was  the  animal  to  all  three,  there  was  no 
mistaking  his  prowess.  His  vast  size,  his  wild,  shaggy 
front  and  sweeping  horns,  the  vengeful  expression  of 
his  eyes,  all  declared  him  a  powerful  and  dangerous 
assailant.  Not  one  of  the  hunters  thought  for  a  mo- 
ment of  withstanding  such  an  assault ;  but,  shouting  to 
each  other  to  run  for  their  lives,  all  three  started  off  as 
fast  as  their  legs  would  carry  them. 

They  ran  for  the  copse,  but  that  "would  not  have 
saved  them  had  it  been  mere  copsewood.  Such  a  huge 
creature  as  their  pursuer  would  have  dashed  through 
copsewood  as  through  a  field  of  grass ;  and,  in  reality, 
he  did  so,  charging  through  the  bushes,  goring  them 
down  on  all  sides  of  him,  and  uttering  his  loud  grunting 
like  a  savage  boar. 

It  so  happened  that  there  were  several  large  trees 
growing  up  out  of  the  underwood,  and  these,  fortu- 
nately, were  not  difficult  to  climb.  The  three  hunters 
did  not  need  any  advice,  as  to  what  they  should  do 
under  the  circumstances.  Each  had  an  instinct  of  his 
own,  and  that  instinct  prompted  him  to  take  to  a  tree ; 
where,  of  course,  he  would  be  safe  enough  from  an 
animal,  whose  claws,  if  it  had  any,  were  encased  in 
hoofs. 

The  bull  continued  for  some  minutes  to  grunt  and 
charge  backward  and  forward  among  the  bushes,  but, 


146  GRUNTING    OXEN. 

not  finding  any  of  the  party,  he  at  length  returned  tc 
the  plain,  where  the  dead  were  lying.  He  first  ap- 
proached the  cow,  and  then  the  calf,  and  then  repeat- 
edly passed  from  one  to  the  other,  placing  his  broad 
muzzle  to  their  bodies,  and  uttering  his  grunting  roar, 
apparently  in  a  more  plaintive  strain  than  before. 

After  continuing  these  demonstrations  for  a  while,  he 
raised  his  head,  looked  over  the  plain,  and  then  trotted 
sullenly  off  in  the  direction  in  which  the  others  had 
gone. 

Hungry  as  were  the  hunters,  it  was  some  time  before 
they  ventured  to  come  down  from  their  perch.  But 
hunger  overcame  them  at  length,  and  descending,  they 
picked  up  their  various  weapons — which  they  had  drop- 
ped in  their  haSte  to  climb — and,  having  loaded  the 
empty  barrels,  they  returned  to  the  game. 

These  were  now  dragged  up  to  the  edge  of  the  timber 
—so  that  in  case  the  bull  should  take  it  into  his  head  to 
return,  they  might  not  have  so  far  to  run  for  the  friendly 
trees. 

The  calf  was  soon  stripped  of  its  skin — a  fire  kindled 
— several  ribs  broiled  over  the  coals,  and  eaten  in  the 
shortest  space  of  time.  Such  delicious  veal  not  one  of 
the  three  had  ever  tasted  in  his  life.  It  was  not  that 
their  extreme  hunger  occasioned  them  to  think  so,  but 
such  was  really  the  fact,  for  they  were  no  longer  igno- 
rant of  what  they  were  eating.  They  now  knew  what 
sort  of  animals  they  had  slain,  and  a  singular  circum- 
stance had  imparted  to  them  this  knowledge.  As  the 
bull  charged  about  in  front  of  the  thicket,  Ossaroo  from 
his  perch  on  the  tree  had  a  good  view  of  him,  and  one 
thing  belonging  to  the  animal  Ossaroo  recognized  as  an 


GRUNTING   OXEN.  147 

old  acquaintance— it  was  his  tail!  Yes,  that  tail  was 
not  to  be  mistaken.  Many  such  had  Ossaroo  seen  and 
handled  in  his  young  days.  Many  a  fly  had  he  brushed 
away  with  just  such  a  one,  and  he  could  have  recognized 
it  had  he  found  it  growing  upon  a  fish 

When  they  returned  to  the  quarry,  Ossaroo  pointed 
to  the  tail  of  the  dead  cow — not  half  so  full  and  large 
as  that  of  the  bull,  but  still  of  similar  character— and 
with  a  significant  glance  to  the  others,  said, — 

«  Know  'im  now,  Sahibs — Chowry." 


7* 


143  THE   YAKS. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE   YAKS. 

WHAT  Ossaroo  meant  was  that  he  knew  the  tail; 
but  he  was  as  ignorant  of  the  animal  to  which  it  was 
attached,  as  if  the  latter  had  been  a  dragon  or  a  comet. 
Ossaroo  saw  that  the  tail  was  a  "  chowry,"  in  other 
words,  a  fly-flapper,  such  as  is  used  in  the  hot  countries 
of  India  for  brushing  away  flies,  mosquitos,  and  other 
winged  insects.  Ossaroo  knew  it,  for  he  had  often, 
handled  one  to  fan  the  old  sahib,  who  had  been  his 
master  in  the  days  of  his  boyhood. 

The  word  chowry,  however,  at  once  suggested  to  the 
plant-hunter  a  train  of  ideas.  He  knew  that  the  chow- 
ries  of  India  were  imported  across  the  Himalayas  from 
Chinese  Tartary  and  Thibet ;  that  they  were  the  tails 
of  a  species  of  oxen  peculiar  to  these  countries,  known 
as  the  yak,  or  grunting  ox.  Beyond  a  doubt  then  the 
animals  they  had  slain  were  "  yaks." 

Karl's  conjecture  was  the  true  one.  It  was  a  herd 
of  wild  yaks  they  had  fallen  in  with,  for  they  were  just 
in  the  very  country  where  these  animals  exist  in  their 
wild  state. 

Linneus  gave  to  these  animals  the  name  of  BOB 
grunniensj  or  grunting  ox — seeing  that  they  were  clear- 


THE   YAKS.  149 

ly  a  species  of  the  ox.  It  would  be  difficult  to  conceive 
a  more  appropriate  name  for  them ;  but  this  did  not 
satisfy  the  modern  closet-naturalists — who,  finding  cer- 
tain differences  between  them  and  other  bovidce,  must 
needs  form  a  new  genus,  to  accommodate  this  one  spe- 
cies, and  by  such  means  render  the  study  of  zoology 
more  difficult.  Indeed,  some  of  these  gentlemen  would 
have  a  genus  for  every  species,  or  even  variety — all  of 
which  absurd  classification  leads  only  to  the  multiplica- 
tion of  hard  names  and  the  confusion  of  ideas. 

It  is  a  great  advantage  to  the  student,  as  well  as  to 
the  simple  reader,  when  the  scientific  title  of  an  animal 
is  a  word  which  conveys  some  idea  of  its  character,  and 
not  the  latinized  name  of  Smith  or  Brown,  Hofenshaufer 
or  Wislizenus ;  but  this  title  should  usually  be  the 
specific  one  given  to  the  animal.  Where  a  genus  exists 
so  easily  distinguished  from  all  others  as  in  the  case  of 
the  old  genus  "  bos,"  it  is  a  great  pity  it  should  be  cut 
up  by  fanciful  systematists  into  bos,  bubalus,  bison,  anoa, 
poephagus,  ovibos,  and  such  like.  The  consequence  of 
this  subdividing  is  that  readers  who  are  not  naturalists, 
and  even  some  who  are,  are  quite  puzzled  by  the  multi- 
tude of  names,  and  gain  no  clear  idea  of  the  animal 
mentioned.  All  these  titles  would  have  been  well 
enough  as  specific  names,  such  as  Bos  bubalus,  Bos 
bison,  Bos  grunniens,  &c.,  and  it  would  have  been 
much  simpler  and  better  to  have  used  them  so.  Of 
course  if  there  were  many  species  under  each  of  these 
new  genera,  then  the  case  would  be  different,  and  sub- 
division might  lead  to  convenience.  •  As  it  is,  however, 
there  are  only  one  or  two  species  of  each,  and  in  the 
case  of  some  of  the  genera,  as  the  musk-ox  (ovibos)  and 


150  THE    YAKS. 

the  yak  or  grunting  ox,  only  one.     Why  then  multiply 
names  and  titles  ? 

These  systematists,  however,  not  satisfied  with  the 
generic  name  given  by  the  great  systematist  Linneus, 
have  changed  the  name  of  the  Bos  grunniens  to  that 
of  Poephagus  grunniens,  which  I  presume  to  mean  the 
"  grunting  poa-eater,"  or  the  "  grunting  eater  of  poa 
grass ! " — a  very  specific  title  indeed,  though  I  fancy 
there  are  other  kinds  of  oxen  as  well  of  the  yak  who 
indulge  occasionally  in  the  luxury  of  poa  grass. 

Well,  this  yajs,  or  syrlak,  or  grunting  ox,  or  poa- 
eater,  whatever  we  jnay  call  him,  is  a  very  peculiar 
and  useful  animal.  He  is  not  only  found  wild  in  Thi- 
bet and  other  adjacent  countries,  but  is  domesticated, 
and  subjected  to  the  service  of  man.  In  fact,  to  the 
people  of  the  high  cold  countries  that  stretch  northward 
from  the  Himalayas  he  is  what  the  camel  is  to  the 
Arabs,  or  the  reindeer  to  the  people  of  Lapland.  His 
long  brown  hair  furnishes  them  with,  material  out  of 
which  they  weave  their  tents  and  twist  their  ropes.' 
His  skin  supplies  them  with  leather.  His  back  carries 
their  merchandise  or  other  burdens,  or  themselves  when 
they  wish  to  ride ;  and  his  shoulder  draws  their  plough 
and  their  carts.  His  flesh  is  a  wholesome  and  excel- 
lent beef,  and  the  milk  obtained  from  the  cows— either 
as  milk,  cheese,  or  butter — is  one  of  the  primary  arti- 
cles o£  food  among  the  Thibetian  people. 

The  tails  constitute  an  article  of  commerce,  of  no 
mean  value.  They  are  exported  to  the  plains  of  India, 
where  they  are  bought  for  several  purposes — their 
principal  use  being  for  "  chowries,"  or  fly-brushes,  as 
already  observed.  Among  the  Tartar  people  they  are 


THE  YAKS.  151 

worn  in  the  cap  as  badges  of  distinction,  and  only  the 
chiefs  and  distinguished  leaders  are  permitted  the  priv- 
ilege of  wearing  them.  In  China,  also,  they  are  simi- 
larly worn  by  the  mandarins,  first  having  been  dyed  of 
a  bright  red  color.  A  fine  full  yak's  tail  will  fetch 
either  in  China  or  India  quite  a  handsome  sum  of 
money. 

There  are  several  varieties  of  the  yak.  First,  there 
is  the  true  wild  yak — the  same  as  those  encountered  by 
our  travellers.  These  are  much  larger  than  the  do- 
mestic breeds,  and  the  bulls  are  among  the  most  fierce 
and  powerful  of  the  ox  tribe.  Hunting  them  is  often 
accompanied  by  hair-breadth  'scapes  and  perilous  en- 
counters, and  large  dogs  and  horses  are  employed  in 
the  chase. 

The  tame  yaks  are  divided  into  several  classes,  as 
the  ploughing  yak,  the  riding  yak,  &c.,  and  these  are 
not  all  of  the  dark  brown  color  of  the  original  race, 
but  are  met  with  dun-colored,  mottled  red,  and  even 
'pure  white.  Dark  brown  or  black,  however,  with  a 
white  tail,  is  the  prevailing  color.  The  yak-calf  is  the 
finest  veal  in  the  world ;  but  when  the  calf  is  taken 
from  the  mother,  the  cow  refuses  to  yield  milk.  In 
such  cases  the  foot  of  the  calf  is  brought  for  her  to  lick, 
or  the  stuffed  skin  to  fondle,  when  she  will  give  milk  as 
before,  expressing  her  satisfaction  by  short  grunts  like 
a  pig. 

The  yak  when  used  as  a  beast  of  burden  will  travel 
twenty  miles  a-day,  under  a  load  of  two  bags  of  rice  or 
salt,  or  four  or  six  planks  of  pine-wood  slung  in  pairs 
along  either  flank.  Their  ears  are  generally  pierced 
by  their  drivers,  and  ornamented  with  tufts  of  scarlet 


152  THE    YAKS. 

worsted.  Their  true  home  is  on  the  cold  table-lands 
of  Thibet  and  Tartary,  or  still  higher  up  among  the 
mountain  valleys  of  the  Himalayas,  where  they  feed 
on  grass  or  the  smaller  species  of  carices.  They  love 
to  browse  upon  steep  places,  and  to  scramble  among 
rocks ;  and  their  favorite  places  for  resting  or  sleeping 
are  on  the  tops  of  isolated  boulders,  where  the  sun  has 
full  play  upon  them.  When  taken  to  warm  climates, 
they  languish,  and  soon  die  of  disease  of  the  liver.  It 
is  possible,  however,  that  they  could  be  acclimated  in 
many  European  countries,  were  it  taken  in  hand  by 
those  who  alone  have  the  power  to  make  the  trial  in 
a  proper  manner — I  mean  the  governments  of  these 
countries.  But  such  works  of  utility  are  about  the  last 
things  that  the  tyrants  of  the  earth  will  be  likely  to 
trouble  their  heads  with. 


CURING    THE    YAK-MEAT.  153 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

• 

CURING    THE    YAK-MEAT. 

OUR  travellers  found  the  yak-veal  excellent,  and  the 
three,  consumed  a  quarter  of  it  for  their  breakfasts  be- 
fore their  appetites  were  satisfied. 

This  business  being  brought  to  a  conclusion,  they 
held  a  council  as  to  what  was  best  to  be  done  next.  Of 
course  they  had  already  made  up  their  minds  to  spend 
some  days  in  this  beautiful  valley  in  plant-hunting. 
From  the  glance  they  had  had  of  it,  Karl  had  no  doubt 
that  its  flora  and  sylva  were  exceedingly  rich  and 
varied.  Indeed,  while  passing  through  the  underwood 
he  had  noticed  many  curious  kinds  that  were  quite  new 
to  him,  and  he  would  be  likely  enough  to  find  some 
altogether  unknown  to  the  botanical  world.  These 
thoughts  filled  him  with  joyful  anticipations — bright 
visions  of  future  triumph  in  his  beloved  science  passed 
before  his  mind's  eye,  and  he  felt  for  the  moment  con- 
tented and  happy. 

The  peculiar  situation  of  the  valley  led  him  to  expect 
a  peculiar  flora,  surrounded  as  it  was  by  snowy  moun- 
tains— isolated  apparently  from  other  fertile  tracts,  and 
sheltered  from  every  wind  by  the  lofty  ridges  that  en- 
circled it.  Among  other  peculiarities  he  had  observed 


154  CUBING   THE    YAK-MEAT. 

plants  of  almost  tropical  genera,  although  the  altitude 
could  not  be  less  than  15,000  feet,  and  the  snowy  moun- 
tains that  towered  above  it  were  some  of  the  highest 
peaks  of  the  Himalayas!  These  tropical  forms  had 
puzzled  him  not  a  little,  considering  the  altitude  at 
which  he  observed  them ;  and  to  account  for  the  ap- 
parent anomaly  was  one  of  the  thoughts  that  was  pass- 
ing through  his  mind  at  the  moment. 

As  for  Caspar,  he  was  pleased  to,  know  that  his 
brother  desired  to  remain  there  for  some  days.  He 
had  less  interest  in  the  rare  plants,  but  he  had  observed 
that  the  place  was  very  well  stocked  with  wild  animals, 
and  he  anticipated  no  little  sport  in  hunting  them. 

It  is  just  possible  that  Ossaroo  sighed  for  the  warm 
plains,  for  the  palm-groves  and  bamboo  thickets,  but  the 
shikarree  liked  the  look  of  the  game,  and  could  spend 
a  few  days  well  enough  in  this  region.  Moreover,  the 
atmosphere  of  the  valley  was  much  warmer  than  that 
of  the  country  in  which  they  had  been  travelling  for 
several  days  past.  Indeed,  the  difference  was  so  great 
as  to  surprise  all  three  of  them,  and  they  could  only 
account  for  the  higher  temperature  by  supposing  that  it 
arose  from  the  sheltered  situation  of  the  valley  itself. 

Having  determined  on  remaining,  therefore  it  be- 
came necessary  to  make  some  provision  against  hunger. 
Though  the  game  seemed  plenty  enough,  they  might 
not  always  be  so  successful  in  stalking  it ;  and  as  the 
yak  cow  offered  them  beef  enough  to  last  for  some  days, 
it  would  not  do  to  let  the  meat  spoil.  That  must  be 
looked  to  at  once. 

Without  further  ado,  therefore,  ^hey  set  about  pre- 
serving the  meat  Having  no  salt  this  might  appear  to 


CURING    THE^  YAK-MEAT.  155 

be  a  difficult  matter,  and  so  it  would  have  been  to  the 
northern  travellers.  But  Ossaroo  was  a  man  of  the 
tropics — in  whose  country  salt  was  both  scarce  and 
dear — and  consequently  he  knew  other  plans  for  curing 
meat  besides  pickling  it.  He  knew  how  to  cure  it  by 
the  process  called  "jerking."  This  was  a  simple  ope- 
ration, and  consisted  in  cutting  the  meat  into  thin  slices, 
and  either  hanging  it  upon  the  branches  of  trees,  or 
spreading  it  out^upon  the  rock — leaving  the  sun  to  do 
the  rest. 

It  happened,  however,  that  on  that  day  the  sun  did 
not  shine  very  brightly,  and  it  was  not  hot  enough  for 
jerking  meat.  But  Ossaroo  was  not  to  be  beaten  so 
easily.  He  knew  an  alternative  which  is  adopted  in 
such  cases.  He  knew  that  the  meat  can  be  jerked  by 
the  fire  as  well  as  by  the  sun,  and  this  plan  he  at  once 
put  into  operation.  Having  gathered  a  large  quantity 
of  fagots,  he  kindled  them  into  a  fire,  and  then  hung  the 
beef  upon  scaffolds  all  around  it — near  enough  to  be 
submitted  to  the  heat  and  smoke,  but  not  so  near  as 
that  the  meat  should  be  either  broiled  or  burnt.  When 
it  should  hang  thus  exposed  to  the  fire  for  a  day  or  so, 
Ossaroo  assured  his  companions  it  would  be  cured  and 
dried  so  as  to  keep  for  months  without  requiring  a 
pinch  of  salt. 

The  skinning  of  the  yak,  and  then  cutting  its  flesh 
into  strips — the  erection  of  the  scaffold-poles,  and  string- 
ing up  of  the  meat,  occupied  all  hands  for  the  space  of 
several  hours,  so  that  when  the  job  was  finished  it  was 
past  mid-day. 

Dinner  had  then  jp  be  cooked  and  eaten,  which  oc- 
cupied nearly  another  hour ;  -and  although  it  was  not 


I 
156  CURING    THE    YAK-MEAT. 

yet  quite  nightfall,  they  were  all  so  sleepy  from  their 
long  vigil,  and  so  tired  with  standing  upon  the  ledge, 
that  they  were  glad  to  stretch  themselves  by  the  fire 
and  go  to  rest. 

The  cold  air,  as  evening  approached,  caused  them  to 
shiver  ;  and  now  for  the  first  time  they  began  to  think 
of  their  blankets,  and  other  matters  which  they  had 
left  at  their  last  camp.  But  they  only  thought  of  them 
with  a  sigh.  The  road,  to  where  these  had  been  left, 
could  no  longer  be  traversed*  It  would  no  doubt  be 
necessary  for  them  to  make  a  long  detour  over  the 
mountains,  before  they  could  get  back  to  that  camp. 

Ossaroo  had  prepared  a  substitute  for  one  of  the 
blankets  at  least.  He  had  stretched  the  yak-skin  upon 
a  frame,  and  placed  it  in  front  of  the  fire,  so  that  by 
night  it  was  dry  enough  for  some  of  the  party  to  wrap 
their  bodies  in.  Sure  enough,  when  Caspar  was  envel- 
oped in  this  strange  blanket — with  the  hairy  side  turned 
inward — be  obtained  in  it,  as  he  himself  declared,  one 
of  the  pleasantest  and  soundest  sleeps  he  had  ever  slept 
in  his  life. 

All  three  rested  well  enough ;  but  had  they  only 
known  of  the  discovery  that  awaited  them  on-  the  mor- 
row, their  sleep  would  not  have  been  so  sound,  nor  their 
dreams  so  light. 


THE    BOILING     SPRING.  157 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE    BOILING   SPRING. 

THEY  ate  their  breakfasts  of  boiled  yak-steak,  wash- 
ing it  down  with  a  draught  of  water.  They  had  not 
even  a  cup  to  hold  the  water.  They  knelt  down  and 
drank  it  out  of  the  lake.  The  water  was  clear  enough, 
but  not  as  cold  as  they  might  have  expected  at  such  an 
elevation.  They  had  noticed  this  on  the  preceding  day, 
and  now  expressed  their  surprise  at  finding  it  so  warm. 
They  had  no  thermometer  with  which  to  test  it,  but  it 
was  evidently  of  much  higher  temperature  than  the  air ! 

Whence  came  this  water?  It  could  not  be  from 
the  melting  snow — else  it  would  certainly  have  been 
colder  than  it  was.  Perhaps  there  was  a  spring  some- 
where ?  Perhaps  there  was  a  hot  spring  ? 

This  was  not  at  all  improbable,  for,  strange  to  say, 
hot  springs  are  numerous  on  the  Himalaya  Mountains 
— often  bursting  out  amidst  ice  and  snow,  and  at  very 
great  elevations. 

Karl  had  read  of  such  springs,  and  this  it  was  that 
led  him  to  infer  the  existence  of  one  in  the  valley.  How 
else  could  the  water  be  warm  ? 

Now  they  recollected  that  on  the  previous  morning 
they  had  noticed  a  singular  cloud  of  vapour  that  hung 


158  THE     BOILING    SPRING. 

over  the  tops  of  the  trees  on  one  side  of  the  valley. 
It  was  no  longer  visible,  after  they  had  descended  from 
the  elevation  at  which  they  then  were ;  but  they  re- 
membered the  direction  in  which  it  had  been  seen,  and 
now  went  in  search  of  it. 

They  soon  reached  the  spot,  and  found  it  just  as  they 
had  conjectured.  A  hot  spring  was  there,  bubbling  out 
from  among  the  rocks,  and  then  running  off  in  a  rivulet 
towards  the  lake.  Caspar  thrust  his  hand  into  the 
water,  but  drew  it  back  again  with  an  exclamation  that 
betokened  both  pain  and  surprise.  The  water  was  al- 
most boiling ! 

"  Well,"  said  he,  "  this  is  convenient  at  all  events. 
If  we  only  had  a  teapot,  we  should  need  no  kettle. 
Here's  water  on  the  boil  at  all  hours !  " 

"  Ha ! "  ejaculated  Karl,  as  he  dipped  his  fingers  into 
the  hot  stream ;  "  this  explains  the  high  temperature 
of  the  valley,  the  rich  luxuriant  vegetation,  the  presence 
of  plants  of  the  lower  region  ;  I  thought  that  there  was 
some  such  cause.  See,  yonder  grow  magnolias  !  How 
very  interesting !  I  should  not  wonder  if  we  meet  with 
palms  and  bamboos  ! " 

Just  at  that  moment  the  attention  of  the  party  was 
called  away  from  the  hot  spring.  A  noble  buck  came 
bounding  up  until  he  was  within  twenty  yards  of  the 
spot,  and  then  halting  in  his  tracks,  stood  for  some 
moments  gazing  at  the  intruders. 

There  was  no  mistaking  this  creature  for  any  ether 
animal  than  a  stag.  The  vast  antlers  were  characteris- 
tics that  left  no  room  to  doubt  of  his  species.  He  was 
about  the  size  of  the  European  stag  or  red  deer,  and 
his  branching  horns  were  very  similar.  His  color,  too, 


THE     BOILING     SPRING.  159 

was  reddish  gray  with  a  white  mark  around  the  croup, 
and  his  form  and  proportion  were  very  like  to  those  of 
the  English  stag.  He  was,  in  fact,  the  Asiatic  repre- 
sentative of  this  very  species — known  to  naturalists  a? 
the  Cervus-  Wallichii. 

At  sight  of  the  party  around  the  spring,  he  exhibited 
symptoms  more  of  surprise  than  of  fear.  Perhaps  they 
were  the  first  creatures  of  the  kind  his  great  large  eyes 
had  ever  glanced  upon.  He  knew  not  whether  they 
might  prove  friendly  or  hostile. 

Simple  creature!  He  was  not  to  remain  long  in 
doubt  as  to  that  point.  The  rifle  was  brought  to  bear 
upon  him,  and  the  next  moment  he  was  prostrate  upon 
the  ground. 

It  was  Karl  who  had  fired,  as  Caspar  with  the  double- 
barrel  was  standing  at  some  distance  off.  All  three, 
however,  ran  forward  to  secure  the  game,  but,  to  their 
chagrin,  the  stag  once  more  rose  to'his  feet  and  bounded 
off  among  the  bushes,  with  Fritz  following  at  his  heels. 
They  could  see  that  he  went  upon  three  legs,  and  that 
the  fourth — one  of  the  hind  ones — was  broken  and 
trailing  upon  the  ground. 

The  hunters  started  after,  in  hopes  of  still  securing 
the  prize ;  but  after  passing  through  the  thicket  they 
had  a  view  of  the  buck  still  bounding  along  close  by  the 
bottom  of  the  cliffs,  and  as  yet  far  ahead  of  the  hound. 
It  was  near  the  cliff  where  the  animal  had  been 
wounded,  for  the  hot  spring  was  close  in  to  the  rocks 
that  bounded  that  side  of  the  valley. 

The  dog  ran  on  after  him,  and  the  hunters  followed 
as  fast  as  they  were  able.  Karl  and  Ossaroo  kept 
along  the  bottom  of  the  cliff,  while  Caspar  remained 


160  THE   BOILING   SPRING. 

out  in  the  open  valley,  in  order  to  intercept  the  game 
should  it  turn  outwards  in  the  direction  of  the  lake. 

In  this  way  they  proceeded  for  more  than  half-a-mile 
before  seeing  anything  more  of  the  stag.  At  length 
the  loud  baying  of  Fritz  warned  them  that  he  had 
overtaken  the  game,  which  was  no  doubt  standing  to 
bay. 

This  proved  to  be  the  case.  Fritz  was  holding  the 
buck  at  bay  close  to  the  edge  of  a  thicket ;  but  the 
moment  the  hunters  came  in  sight,  the  stag  again 
broke,  dashed  into  the  thicket,  and  disappeared  as 
before. 

Another  half-mile  was  passed  before  they  found  the 
game  again,  and  then  the  dog  had  brought  him  to  bay  a 
second  time ;  but  just  as  before,  when  the  hunters  were 
approaching,  the  stag  made  a  rush  into  the  bushes,  and 
again  got  off. 

It  was  mortifying  to  lose  such  noble  game  after  hav- 
ing been  so  sure  of  it,  and  all  determined  to  follow  out 
the  chase  if  it  should  last  them  the  whole  day.  Karl 
had  another  motive  for  continuing  after  the  deer.  Karl 
was  a  person  of  tender  and  humane  feelings.  He  saw 
that  the  ball  had  broken  the  creature's  thigh-bone,  and 
he  knew  the  wound  would  cause  its  death  in  the  end. 
He  could  not  think  of  leaving  it  thus  to  die  by  inches, 
and  was  anxions  to  put  an  end  to  its  misery.  With 
this  view  as  well  as  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  the 
venison,  he  continued  the  chase. 

The  stag  gave  them  another  long  run,  before  it  was 
again  brought  up;  and  again,  for  the  third  time,  it 
broke  and  made  off. 

They  began  to  despair  of  being  able  to  come  up  with 


THE   BOILING    SPRING.  161 

it.  All  this  while  the  deer  had  kept  along  the  base  of 
the  cliffs,  and  the  hunters  as  they  ran  after  it  could  not 
help  noticing  the  immense  precipice  that  towered  above 
their  heads.  It  rose  to  the  height  of  hundreds  of  feet, 
in  some  places  with  a  slanting  face,  but  generally  almost 
as  vertical  as  a  wall.  The  chase  of  the  wounded  stag, 
however,  occupied  too  much  their  attention  to  allow  of 
their  observing  anything  else  very  minutely ;  and  so 
they  pressed  on  without  halting  anywhere — except  for 
a  moment  or  so  to  gain  breath.  Six  or  seven  times  had 
they  seen  the  wounded  stag,  and  six  or  seven  times  had 
Fritz  brought  him  to  bay,  but  Fritz  for  his  pains  had 
only  received  several  severe  scores  from  the  antlers  of 
the  enraged  animal. 

The  hunters  at  length  approached  the  great  gap  in 
the  cliff,  through  which  they  had  first  entered  the  valley, 
but  the  chase  was  carried  past  this  point  and  continued 
on  as  before. 

Once  more  the  loud  barking  of  the  dog  announced 
that  the  deer  had  come  to  a  stand  ;  and  once  more  the 
hunters  hurried  forward. 

This  time  they  saw  the  stag  standing  in  a  pool  of 
water  up  to  the  flacks.  The  ground  gave  Caspar  an 
opportunity  to  approach  within  a  'few  yards  without 
being  observed  by  the  game,  and  a  discharge  from  the 
double-barrel  put  an  end  to  the  chase. 


162  AN   ALARMING    DISCOVERY. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

AN  ALARMING    DISCOVERY. 

You  will  naturally  suppose  that  this  successful  termi- 
nation of  the  chase  gave  great  satisfaction  to  the  hunt- 
ers. It  might  have  done  so  under  other  circumstances, 
but  just  then  their  minds  became  occupied  by  thoughts 
of  a  far  different  nature. 

As  they  came  up  to  the  spot  where  the  stag  had 
fallen,  and  were  preparing  to  drag  it  from  the  pool,  their 
eyes  rested  upon  an  object  which  caused  them  to  turn 
toward  one  another  with  looks  of  strange  significance. 
This  object  was  no  other  than  the  hot  spring — the  place 
where  the  chase  had  begun.  Within  less  than  a  hun- 
dred yards  of  the  spot  where  the  stag  had  received  his 
first  wound  was  he  now  lying  dead !  The  pool  in  fact 
wasxin  the  little  rivulet  that  ran  from  the  spring  to  the 
lake. 

I  have  said  that  the  hunters  on  observing  this  ex- 
changed significant  glances.  One  fact  was  evident  to 
all  of  them — that  they  had  got  back  to  the  spot  whence 
they  started.  A  very  little  reasoning  taught  them 
another  fact — that  in  the  pursuit  of  the  stag  they  must 
have  made  the  full  circuit  of  the  valley.  They  had 
not  turned  back  anywhere — they  had  not  crossed  the 


AN   ALARMING    DISCOVERT.  163 

valley — they  had  not  even  been  in  sight  of  the  lake 
during  the  whole  chase.  On  the  contrary,  Karl  with 
Ossaroo  had  kept  continually  along  the  bottom  of  the 
cliffs,  sometimes  in  the  timber,  and  at  intervals  passing 
across  stretches  of  open  ground. 

What  was  there  remarkable  about  all  this  ?  It  only 
proved  that  the  valley  was  small,  and  of  roundish  form ; 
and  that  in  about  an  hour's  time  any  one  might  make 
the  circuit  of  it.  What  was  there  in  this  discovery  that 
should  cause  the  hunters  to  stand  gazing  upon  one 
another  with  troubled  looks  ?  Was  it  surprise  at  the 
stag  having  returned  to  die  where  he  had  received  his 
wound  ?  Certainly  there  was  something  a  little  singu- 
lar about  that,  but  so  trifling  a  circumstance  could  not 
have  clouded  the  brows  of  the  hunters.  It  was  not 
surprise  that  was  pictured  in  their  looks — more  serious 
feelings  were  stirring  within  them.  Their  glances  were 
those  of  apprehension — the  fear  of  some  danger  not 
fully  defined  or  certain.  What  danger  ? 

The  three  stood,  Ossaroo  lightly  grasping  his  bow, 
but  not  thinking  of  the  weapon  ;  Karl  holding  his  rifle 
with  its  butt  resting  on  the  ground,  and  Caspar  gazing 
interrogatively  in  the  face  of  his  brother. 

For  some  moments  not  one  of  them  spoke.  Each 
guessed  what  the  other  was  thinking  of.  The  stag  lay 
untouched  in  the  pool,  his  huge  antlers  alone  appearing 
above  the  surface  of  the  water,  while  the  dog  stood  bay- 
ing on  the  bank. 

Karl  at  length  broke  silence.  He  spoke  half  in  solilo- 
quy, as  if  his  thoughts  were  busy  with  the  subject. 

"  Yes,  a  precipice  the  whole  way  round.  I  saw  no 
break — no  signs  of  one.  Ravines  there  were,  it  is  true, 
8 


164  AN    ALARMING    DISCOVERY. 

but  all  seemed  to  end  in  the  same  high  cliffs.  You  ob 
served  no  outlet,  Ossaroo  ?  " 

"  No,  Sabib ;  me  fearee  de  valley  shut  up,  no  clear  o 
dis  trap  yet  Sahib." 

Caspar  offered  no  opinion.  He  had  kept  farther  out 
from  the  cliffs,  and  at  times  had  been  quite  out  of  sight 
of  them — the  trees  hiding  their  tops  from  his  view. 
He  fully  comprehended,  however,  the  meaning  of  his 
brother's  observations. 

"Then  you  think  the  precipice  runs  all  around  the 
valley  ?  "  he  asked,  addressing  the  latter. 

"  I  fear  so,  Caspar.  I  observed  no  outlet — neither 
has  Ossaroo ;  and  although  not  specially  looking  for 
such  a  thing,  I  had  my  eyes  open  for  it ;  I  had  not'  for- 
gotten our  perilous  situation  of  yesterday,  and  I  wished 
to  assure  myself.  I  looked  up  several  gorges  that  ran 
out  of  the  valley,  but  the  sides  of  all  seemed  to  be  pre- 
cipitous. The  chase,  it  is  true,  kept  me  from  examining 
them  very  closely ;  but  it  is  now  time  to  do  so.  If  there 
be  no  pass  out  of  this  valley,  then  are  we  indeed  in 
trouble.  These  cliffs  are  five  hundred  feet  in  height— 
they  are  perfectly  impassable  by  human  foot.  Come 
on  !  let  us  know  the  worst." 

"  Shall  we  not  draw  out  the  stag  ?  "  inquired  Caspar, 
pointing  to  the  game  that  still  lay  under  the  water. 

"  No,  leave  him  there ;  it  will  get  no  harm  till  our 
return :  should  my  fears  prove  just,  we  shall  have 
time  enough  for  that,  and  much  else  beside.  Come 
on!" 

So  saying  Karl  led  the  way  toward  the  foot  of  the 
precipice,  the  others  following  silently  after. 

Foot  by  foot,  and  yard  by  yard,  did  they  examine  the 


AN   ALAEMING   DISCOVERY.  165 

beetling  front  of  those  high  cliffs.  They  viewed  them 
from  their  base,  and  then  passing  outward  scanned  them 
to  the  very  tops.  There  was  no  gorge  or  ravine  which 
they  did  not  enter  and  fully  reconnoitre.  Many  of  these 
there  were,  all  of  them  resembling  little  bays  of  the 
ocean,  their  bottoms  being  on  the  same  level  with  the 
valley  itself,  and  their  sides  formed  by  the  vertical  wall 
of  granite. 

At  some  places  the  cliffs  actually  hung  over.  Now 
and  then  they  came  upon  piles  of  rock  and  scattered 
boulders — some  of  them  of  enormous  dimensions.  There 
were  single  blocks  full  fifty  feet  in  length,  breadth,  and 
height ;  and  there  were  also  cairns,  or  collections  of  rocks, 
piled  up  to  four  times  that  elevation,  and  standing  at 
such  a  distance  from  the  base  of  the  cliff,  that  it  was 
evident  they  could  not  have  fallen  from  it  into  their 
present  position.  Ice,  perhaps,  was  the  agent  that  had 
placed  them  where  they  lay. 

None  of  the  three  were  in  any  mood  to  speculate 
upon  geological  phenomena  at  that  moment.  They 
passed  on,  continuing  their  examination.  They  saw 
that  the  cliff  was  not  all  of  equal  height.  It  varied  in  thig 
respect,  but  its  lowest  escarpment  was  too  high  to  be 
ascended.  At  the  lowest  point  it  could  not  have  been 
less  than  three  hundred  feet  sheer,  while  there  were 
portions  of  it  that  rose  to  the  stupendous  height  of  one 
thousand  from  the  valley ! 

On  went  they  along  its  base,  carefully  examining 
every  yard.  They  had  gone  over  the  same  path  with 
lighter  feet  and  lighter  hearts.  This  time  they  were 
three  hours  in  making  the  circuit ;  and  at  the  end  of 
these  three  hours  they  stood  in  the  gap  by  which  they 


166  "          AN    ALARMING    DISCOVERT. 

had  entered,  with  the  full  and  painful  conviction  that 
that  gap  was  the  only  outlet  to  this  mysterious  valley-— 
the  only  one  that  could  be  traversed  by  human  foot ! 
The  valley  itself  resembled  the  crater  of  some  extinct 
volcano,  whose  lava  lake  had  burst  through  this  gate- 
like  gorge,  leaving  an  empty  basin  behind. 

They  did  not  go  back  through  the  glacier  ravine. 
They  hacl  no  hope  of  escaping  in  that  direction.  That 
they  knew  already. 

From  the  gap  they  saw  the  white  vapor  curling  up 
over  the  spring.  They  saw  the  remaining  portion  of 
the  precipice  that  lay  beyond.  It  was  the  highest  and 
most  inaccessible  of  all. 

All  three  sat  down  upon  the  rocks ;  and  remained  for 
Borne  minutes  silent  and  in  a  state  of  mind  bordering 
upon  despair. 


PROSPECTS    AND     PRECAUTIONS.  167 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

PROSPECTS    AND    PRECAUTIONS. 

BRAVE  men  do  not  easily  yield  to  despair.  Karl 
was  brave.  Caspar,  although  but  a  mere  boy,  was  as 
brave  as  a  man.  So  was  the  shikarree  brave* — that  is, 
for  one  of  his  race.  He  would  have  thought  light  of 
any  ordinary  peril — a  combat  with  a  tiger,  or  a  gayal, 
or  a  bear  ;  but,  like  all  his  race,  he  was  given  to  super- 
stition. He  now  firmly  believed  that  some  of  his  Hin- 
doo gods  dwelt  in  this  valley,  and  that  they  were  all  to 
be  punished  for  intruding  into  the  sacred  abode.  There 
was  nothing  singular  about  his  holding  this  belief.  It 
was  perfectly  natural, — in  fact,  it  was  only  the  belief  of 
his  religion  and  his  race. 

Notwithstanding  his  superstitious  fears,  he  did  not 
yield  himself  up  to  destiny.  On  the  contrary,  he  was 
ready  to  enter  heart  and  soul  into  any  plan  by  which 
he  and  his  companions  might  escape  out  of  the  territory 
of  Brahma,  Vishnu,  or  Siva — whichsoever  of  these  it 
belonged  to. 

It  was  in  thinking  over  some  plan  that  kept  all  three 
of  them  in  silence,  and  with  such  thoughts  Ossaroo  was 
as  busy  as  the  others. 

Think  as  they  would,  no  feasible  or  practicable  idea 


168        PROSPECTS  AND  PRECAUTIONS. 

could  be  got  hold  of.  There  were  five  hundred  feet  of 
a  cliff  to  be  scaled.  How  was  that  feat  to  be  accom- 
plished ? 

By  making  a  ladder?  The  idea  was  absurd.  No 
ladder  in  the  world  would  reach  to  the  quarter  of  such 
a  height.  Ropes,  even  if  they  had  had  them,  could  be 
in  no  way  made  available.  These  might  aid  in  going 
down  a  precipice,  but  for  going  up  they  would  be  per- 
fectly useless. 

The  thought  even  crossed  their  minds  of  cutting 
notches  in  the  cliff,  and  ascending  by  that  means ! 
This  might  appear  to  be  practicable,  and  viewing  the 
matter  from  a  distance  it  certainly  does  seem  so.  But 
had  you  been  placed  in  the  position  of  our  travellers,— 
seated  as  they  were  in  front  of  that  frowning  wall  of 
granite, — and  told  that  you  must  climb  it  by  notches 
cut  in  the  iron  rock  by  your  own  hand,  you  would  have 
turned  from  the  task  in  despair. 

So  did  they ;  at  least  the  idea  passed  away  from  their 
thoughts  almost  in  the  same  moment  in  which  it  had 
been  conceived. 

For  hours  they  sat  pondering  over  the  affair.  What 
would  they  not  have  given  for  wings  ;  wings  to  carry 
them  over  the  walls  of  that  terrible  prison  ? 

All  their  speculations  ended  without  result ;  and  at 
length  rising  to  their  feet,  they  set  off  with  gloomy 
thoughts  toward  the  spot  where  they  had  already  en- 
camped. 

As  if  to  render  their  situation  more  terrible,  some 
wild  beasts, — wolves  they  supposed, — had  visited  the 
encampment  during  their  absence,  and  had  carried  off 
every  morsel  of  the  jerked  meat.  This  was  a  painful 


PROSPECTS   AND    PRECAUTIONS.  169 

discovery,  for  now  more  than  ever  should  they  require 
such  provision. 

The  stag  still  remained  to  them.  Surely  it  was  not 
also  carried  off  ?  and  to  assure  themselves  they  hurried 
to  the  pool,  which  was  at  no  great  distance.  They 
were  gratified  at  finding  the  deer  in  the  pool  where  it 
had  been  left ;  the  water,  perhaps,  having  protected  it 
from  ravenous  beasts. 

As  their  former  camp  ground  had  not  been  well 
chosen,  they  dragged  the  carcass  of  the  deer  up  to  the 
hot  spring ;  that  being  a  better  situation.  There  the 
animal  was  skinned,  a  fire  kindled,  and  after  they  had 
dined  upon  fresh  venison-steaks,  the  rest  of  the  meat 
Ossaroo  prepared  for  curing, — just  as  he  had  done  that 
of  tie  yak, — but  in  this  case  he  took  the  precaution  to 
hang  it  out  of  reach  of  all  four-footed  marauders. 

So  careful  were  they  of  the  flesh  of  the  deer,  that 
even  the  bones  were  safely  stowed  away,  and  Fritz  had 
to  make  his  supper  upon  the  offal. 

Notwithstanding  their  terrible  situation,  Karl  had  not 
abandoned  one  of  the  national  characteristics  of  his 
countryman, — prudence.  He  foresaw  a  long  stay  in 
this  singular  valley.  How  long  he  did  not  think  of 
asking  himself;  perhaps  for  life.  He  anticipated  the 
straits  in  which  they  might  soon  be  placed ;  food  even 
might  fail  them  ;  and  on  this  account  every  morsel  was 
to  be  kept  from  waste. 

Around  their  night  camp-fire  they  talked  of  the  pros- 
pects of  obtaining  food ;  of  the  animals  they  supposed 
might  exist  in  the  valley  ;  of  their  numbers  and  kinds, 
—they  had  observed  several  kinds ;  of  the  birds  upon 
the  lake  and  among  the  tre«s  ;  of  the  fruits  and  berries ; 


170  PROSPECTS    AND    PRECAUTIONS. 

of  the  roots  that  might  be  in  the  ground ;  in  short,  of 
every  thing  that  might  be  found  there  from  which  they 
could  draw  sustenance. 

They  examined  their  stock  of  ammunition.  This 
exceeded  even  their  most  sanguine  hopes.  Both  Gas- 
par's  large  powder-horn  and  that  of  his  brother  were 
nearly  full.  They  had  used  their  guns  but  little  since 
last  filling  their  horns.  They  had  also  a  good  store  of 
shot  and  bullets";  though  these  things  were  less  essen- 
tial; and  in  case  of  their  running  short  of  them  they 
knew  of  many  substitutes,  but  gunpowder  is  the  sine 
qua  non  of  the  hunter. 

Even  had  their  guns  failed  them,  there  was  still  the 
unerring  bow  of  Ossaroo,  and  it  was  independent  of 
either  powder  or  lead.  A  thin  reed,  or  the  slender 
branch  of  a  tree,  were  nearly  all  that  Ossaroo  required 
to  make  as  deadly  a  shaft  as  need  be  hurled. 

They  were  without  anxiety,  on  the  score  of  being 
able  to  kill  such  animals  as  the  place  afforded.  Even 
had  they  been  without  arrows,  they  felt  confident  that  in 
such  a  circumscribed  space  tney  would  have  been  able 
to  circumvent  and  capture  the  game.  They  had  no 
uneasiness  about  any  four-footed  creature  making  its 
escape  from  the  valley  any  more  than  themselves, 
There  could  be  no  other  outlet  than  that  by  which  they 
had  entered.  By  the  ravine  only  could  the  four-footed 
denizens  of  the  place  have  gone  out  and  in  ;  and  on  the 
glacier  they  had  observed  a  beaten  path  made  by  the 
tracks  of  animals,  before  the  snow  had  fallen.  Likely 
enough  the  pass  was  well  known  to  many  kinds,  and 
likely  also  there  were  others  that  stayed  continually  in 
the  valley,  and  there  brought  forth  their  young.  In- 


PROSPECTS    AND    PRECAUTIONS.  171 

deed,  it  would  have  been  difficult  for  a  wild  animal  to 
have  found  a  more  desirable  home. 

The  hope  of  the  hunters  was  that  many  animals 
might  have  held  this  very  opinion,  and  from  what  they 
had  already  observed,  they  had  reason  to  think  so. 

Of  course  they  had  not  yet  abandoned  the  hope  of 
being  able  to  find  some  way  of  escape  from  their  singu- 
lar prison.  No,  it  was  too  early  for  that.  Had  they 
arrived  at  such  a  conviction,  they  would  have  been  in 
poor  heart  indeed,  and  in  no  mood  for  conversing  as  they 
did.  The  birds  and  the  quadrupeds,  and  the  fruits  and 
roots,  would  have  had  but  little  interest  for  them  with 
such  a  despairing  idea  as  that  in  their  minds.  They 
still  hoped,  though  scarce  knowing  why ;  and  in  this 
uncertainty  they  went  to  rest  with  the  resolve  to  give 
the  cliffs  a  fresh  examination  on  the  morrow. 


172  MEASURING   THE    CREVASSE. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

MEASURING   THE    CREVASSE. 

AGAIN,  on  the  morrow,  every  foot  of  the  precipitous 
bluffs  was  minutely  scanned  and  examined.  The  cir- 
cuit of  the  valley  was  made- as  before.  Even  trees 
were  climbed  in  order  the  better  to  view  the  face  of  the 
cliffs  that  soared  far  above  their  tops.  The  result  was 
a  full  conviction,  that  to  scale  the  precipice  at  any  point 
was  an  utter  impossibility. 

Until  fully  convinced  of  this,  they  had  not  thought  of 
going  back  through  the  gap  that  led  to  the  glacier ;  but 
now  that  all  hopes  of  succeeding  elsewhere  had  van- 
ished from  their  minds,  they  proceeded  in  that  direc- 
tion. 

They  did  not  walk  towards  it  with  the  light  brisk 
Btep  of  men  who  had  hopes  of  success  ;  but  rather  me- 
chanically, as  if  yielding  to  a  sort  of  involuntary  impulse. 
As  yet  they  had  not  examined  the  ice-chasm  very  mi- 
nutely. 

Awed  by  the  terror  of  the  glacier  slide,  they  had 
retreated  from  the  spot  in  haste.  One  glance  at  the 
crevasse  was  all  they  had  given;  but  in  that  glance 
they  liad  perceived  the  impossibility  of  crossing  it.  At 
the  time,  however,  they  were  not  aware  of  the  resources 


MEASURING   THE    CREVASSE.  173 

that  were  so  near.  They  were  not  aware  that  within 
less  than  five  hundred  yards  of  the  spot  grew  a  forest 
of  tall  trees.  Indeed,  it  was  not  until  they  had  fully 
reconnoitred  the  cliffs,  and  turned  away  from  them  in 
despair,  that  such  a  train  of  reasoning  occurred  to  the 
mind  of  any  of  the  three. 

As  they  were  entering  the  portals  of  that  singular 
passage,  the  thought  seemed  for  the  first  time  to  have 
taken  shape.  Karl  was  the  first  to  give  expression  to 
it,  Suddenly  halting,  he  pointed  back  to  the  forest, 
and  said, — 

"  If  we  could  bridge  it !  " 

Neither  of  his  companions  asked  him  what  he  con- 
templated bridging.  Both  were  at  that  moment  busy 
with  the  same  train  of  thought.  They  knew  it  was  the 
crevasse. 

"  Those  pine-trees  are  tall,"  said  Caspar. 

"  Not  tall  enough,  Sahib,"  rejoined  the  shikarree. 

"  W.e  can  splice  them,"  continued  Caspar. 

Ossaroo  shook  his  head,  but  said  nothing  in  reply. 

The  idea,  however,  had  begotten  new  hopes  ;  and  all 
three  walked  down  the  ravine  with  brisker  steps.  They 
scanned  the  cliffs  on  either  side  as  they  advanced,  but 
these  they  had  examined  before. 

Treading  with  caution  they  approached  the  edge  of 
the  crevasse.  They  looked  across*  A  hundred  feet 
wide — perhaps  more  than  a  hundred  feet — yawned  that 
fearful  gulf.  They  knelt  down  and  gazed  into  the 
chasm.  It  opened  far  away  into  the  earth — hundreds 
of  feet  below  where  they  knelt.  It  narrowed  towards 
the  bottom.  They  could  see  the  crystal  cliffs,  blue  at 
the  top,  grow  greener  and  darker  as  they  converged 


174         MEASURING  THE  CREVASSE. 

towards  each  other.  They  could  see  huge  boulders  of 
rock  and  masses  of  icy  snow  wedged  between  them,  and 
could  hear  far  below  the  roaring  of  water.  A  torrent 
ran  there — no  doubt  the  superfluous  waters  of  the  lake 
escaping  by  this  subglacial  stream. 

A  sublime,  but  terrible  sight  it  was ;  and  although 
the  nerves  of  all  were  strung  to  an  extreme  degree,  it 
made  them  giddy  to  look  into  the  chasm,  and  horrid 
feelings  came  over  them  as  they  listened  to  the  unnat- 
ural echoes  of  their  voices.  To  have  descended  to  the 
bottom  would  have  been  a  dread  peril :  but  they  did 
not  contemplate  such  an  enterprise.  They  knew  that 
such  a  proceeding  would  be  of  jio  use,  even  could  they 
have  accomplished  it.  Once  in  the  bottom  of  the 
chasm  the  opposite  steep  would  still  have  to  be  climbed, 
and  this  was  plainly  an  impossibility.  They  thought 
not  of  crossing  in  that  way — their  only  hope  lay  in  the 
possibility  of  bridging  the  crevasse ;  and  to  this  their 
whole  attention  was  now  turned. 

Such  a  project  might  appear  absurd.  Men  of  weaker 
minds  would  have  turned  away  from  it  in  despair ;  and 
so,  too,  might  they  have  done,  but  for  the  hopelessness 
of  all  other  means  of  escape.  It  was  now  life  or  death 
with  them — at  all  events,  it  was  freedom  or  captivity. 

To  give  up  all  hope  of  returning  to  their  homes  and 
friends — to  spend  the  remainder  of  their  lives  in  thia 
wild  fastness — was  a  thought  almost  as  painful  as  the 
prospect  of  death  itself. 

It  was  maddening  to  entertain  such  a  thought,  and  as 
yet  not  one  of  them  could  bring  himself  to  dwell  upon 
the  reality  of  so  terrible  a  destiny.  But  the  fact  that 
such  in  reality  would  be  thftir  fate,  unless  they  could 


MEASURING  THE  CREVASSE.         175 

discover  some  mode  of  escaping  from  their  perilous 
situation,  sharpened  all  their  wits  ;  and  every  plan  was 
brought  forward  and  discussed  with  the  most  serious 
earnestness. 

As  they  stood  gazing  across  that  yawning  gulf,  the 
conviction  entered  their  minds  that  it  was  possible  to 
bridge  it. 

Karl  was  the  first  to  give  way  to  this  conviction. 
Caspar,  ever  sanguine,  soon  yielded  to  the  views  of  his 
brother;  and  Ossaroo,  though  tardily  convinced,  ac- 
knowledged that  they  could  do  no  better  than  try.  The 
scientific  mind  of  the  botanist  had  been  busy,  and  had 
already  conceived  a  plan — which  though  it  would  be 
difficult  of  execution,  did  not  seem  altogether  imprac- 
ticable. On  one  thing,  however,  its  practicability  rested 
— the  width  of  the  chasm.  This  must  be  ascertained, 
and  how  was  it  to  be  done  ? 

It  could  not  be  guessed — that  was  clear.  The  simple 
estimate  of  the  eye  is  a  very  uncertain  mode  of  meas- 
uring— as  was  proved  by  the  fact  that  each  one  of  the 
three  assigned  a  different  width  to  the  crevasse.  In 
fact,  there  was  full  fifty  feet  of  variation  in  their  esti- 
mates. Karl  believed  it  to  be  only  a  hundred  feet  in 
width,  Ossaroo  judged  it  at  a  hundred  and  fifty,  while 
Caspar  thought  it  might  be  between  the  two.  How, 
then,  were  they  to  measure  it  exactly  ?  That  was  the 
first  question  that  came  before  them. 

Had  they  been  in  possession  of  proper  instruments, 
Karl  was  scholar  enough  to  have  determined  the  dis- 
tance by  triangulation ;  but  they  had  neither  quadrant 
nor  theodolite  ;  and  that  mode  was  therefore  impossible. 

I  have  said  that  their  wits  were  sharpened  by  their 


176  MEASURING   THE   CREVASSE. 

situation,  and  the  difficulty  about  the  measurement  wag 
soon  got  over.  It  was  Ossaroo  who  decided  that  point. 

Karl  and  Caspar  were  standing  apart  discussing  the 
subject,  not  dreaming  of  any  aid  from  the  shikarree 
upon  so  scientific  a  question,  when  they  perceived  the 
latter  unwinding  a  long  string,  which  he"  had  drawn 
from  his  pocket. 

"  Ho !  "  cried  Caspar,  "  what  are  you  about,  Ossaroo  ? 
Do  you  expect  to  measure  it  with  a  string  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Sahib  !  "  answered  the  shikarree. 

"  And  who  is  to  carry  your  line  to  the  opposite  side, 
I  should  like  to  know  ?  "  inquired  Caspar. 

It  seemed  very  ridiculous,  indeed,  to  suppose  that  the 
chasm  could  be  measured  with  a  string — so  long  as  only 
one  side  of  it  was  accessible ;  but  there  was  a  way  of 
doing  it,  and  Ossaroo's  native  wit  had  suggested  that 
way  to  him. 

In  reply  to  Caspar's  question,  he  took  one  of  the  ar- 
rows from  his  quiver,  and,  holding  it  up,  he  said, — 

«  This,  Sahib,  this  carry  it." 

"  True  !  true  !  "  joyfully  exclaimed  the  brothers ; 
both  of  whom  at  once  comprehended  the  design  of  the 
shikarree. 

It  cost  Ossaroo  but  a  few  minutes  to  put  his  design 
into  execution.  The  string  was  unwound  to  its  full 
extent.  There  were  nearly  a  hundred  yards  of  it.  It 
was  stretched  tightly,  so  as  to  clear  it  of  snarls,  and 
then  one  end  was  adjusted  to  the  shaft  of  the  arrow. 
The  other  end  was  made  fast  to  a  rock,  and  after  that 
the  bow  was  bent,  and  the  arrow  projected  into  the  air. 

A  shout  of  joy  was  raised  as  the  shaft  was  seen  to 
fall  upon  the  snowy  surface  on  the  opposite  side ;  and 


MEASURING  THE   CREVASSE.  177 

the  tiny  cord  was  observed,  like  the  thread  of  a  spider's 
web,  spanning  the  vast  chasm. 

Ossaroo  seized  the  string  in  his  hand,  drew  the 
arrow  gently  along  until  it  rested  close  to  the  oppo- 
site edge;  and  then  marking  the  place  with  a  knot, 
he  plucked  the  arrow  till  it  fell  into  the  chasm,  and 
hand  over  hand  commenced  winding  up  the  string. 

In  a  few  moments  he  had  recovered  both  cord  and 
Arrow;  and  now  came  the  important  part,  the  measure- 
ment of  the  string. 

The  hearts  of  all  three  beat  audibly  as  foot  after  foot 
was  told  off;  but  a  murmur  of  satisfaction  escaped 
from  all,  when  it  was  found  that  the  lowest  estimate 
was  nearest  the  truth.  The  chasm  was  about  a  hun- 
dred fee*  wide! 


178  THE   HUT. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

* 

THE    HUT. 

KARL  felt  confident  they  could  bridge  the  crevasseu 
The  only  weapons  they  had  were  their  knives,  and  a 
small  wood  hatchet  which  Ossaroo  chanced  to  have  in 
his  belt  when  they  set  out  in  chase  of  the  musk-deer. 
True  they  had  their  guns,  but  of  what  service  could 
these  be  in  making  a  bridge?  * 

Ossaroo's  knife,  as  already  described,  was  a  long- 
bladed  one, — half  knife,  half  sword, — in  fact,  a  jungle 
knife.  The  hatchet  was  not  larger  than  an  Indian 
tomahawk;  but  with  these  weapons  Karl  Linden  be- 
lieved he  could  build  a  bridge  of  one  hundred  feet 
span! 

He  communicated  to  his  companions  his  plan  in  de- 
tail, and  both  believed  in  its  feasibility.  I  need  hardly 
say  that  under  such  a  belief  their  spirits1  rose  again ; 
and,  though  they  felt  that  success  was  far  from  cer- 
tain, they  were  once  more  filled  with  hope ;  and  having 
taken  all  the  necessary  steps,  in  regard  to  measuring 
the  narrowest  part  of  the  crevasse,  and  noted  the  ground 
well,  they  returned  to  the  valley  with  lighter  hearts. 

The  bridge  was  not  to  be  the  work  of  a  day,  nor 
a  week,  nor  yet  might  a  month  suffice.  Could  they 


THE    HUT.  179 

only  have  obtained  access  to  both  sides  of  the  chasm  it 
would  have  been  different,  and  they  could  easily  have 
finished  it  in  less  time.  But  you  are  to  remember  that 
only  one  side  was  allowed  them  to  work  upon,  and  from 
this  they  would  of  necessity  have  to  project  the  bridge 
to  the  other.  If  they  could  even  have  got  a  cable 
stretched  across,  this  would  have  been  bridge  enough 
for  thejpa,  and  they  woilld  have  needed  no  other.  A 
cable,  indeed !  They  would  soon  have  found  their  way 
over  upon  a  cable  or  even  a  stout  rope ;  but  the  stout- 
est communication  they  had  was  a  slender  string,  and 
only  an  arrow  to  hold  it  in  its  place ! 

The  genius  of  Karl  had  not  only  projected  the  bridge, 
but  a  mode  of  placing  it  across  the  chasm,  though  many 
a  contrivance  would  have  to  be  adopted,  before  the 
work  could  be  finished.  Much  time  would  require  to 
be  spent,  but  what  of  time  when  compared  with  the 
results  of  failure  or  success  ? 

The  first  thing  they  did  was  to  build  them  a  hut. 
The  nights  were  cold,  and  growing  colder,  for  the 
Himalaya  winter  was  approaching,  and  sleeping  in  the 
open  air,  even  by  the  largest  fire  they  might  make,  was 
by  no  means  comfortable.  They  built  a  rude  hovel 
therefore,  partly  of  logs,  and  partly  of  stone  blocks,  for 
it  was  difficult  to  procure  logs  of  the  proper  length,  and 
to  cut  them  with  such  tools  as  they  had  would  have 
been  a  tedious  affair.  The  walls  were  made  thick, 
rough,  and  strong;  the  interstices  were  matted  and 
daubed  with  clay  from  the  bed  of  the  rivulet;  the 
thatch  was  a  sedge  obtained  from  the  lake ;  and  the 
floor  of  earth  was  strewed  with  the  leave's  of  the  sweet- 
Bmelling  rhododendron.  The  hole  was  left  for  the 


180  THE   HUT. 

emoke  to  escape.  Several  granite  slabs  served  for 
seats — tables  were  not  needed — and  for  beds  each  of 
the  party  had  provided  himself  with  a  thick  mattress 
of  dried  grass  and  leaves.  With  such  accommodations 
were  the  hunters  fain  to  content  themselves.  They  felt 
too  much  anxiety  about  the  future  to  care  for  present 
luxuries. 

They  were  but  one  single  day  in  building  the  hut. 
Had  there  been  bamboos  at  hand,  Ossaroo  would  have 
constructed  a  house  in  half  the  time,  and  a  much  hand- 
somer one.  As  it  was,  their  hovel  occupied  them  just 
a  day,  and  on  the  next  morning  they  set  to  work  upon 
the  bridge. 

They  had  agreed  to  divide  the  labour ;  Karl  with  the 
axe,  and  Ossaroo  with  his  large  knife,  were  to  work 
upon  the  timbers;  while  Caspar  was  to  provide  the 
food  with  his  double-barrelled  gun,  helping  the  others 
whenever  he  could  spare  time. 

But  Caspar  found  another  purpose  for  his  gun  be- 
sides procuring  meat.  Ropes  would  be  wanted,  long 
tough  ropes;  and  they  had  already  planned  it,  that 
these  should  be  made  from  the  hides  of  the  animals 
that  might  be  killed.  Caspar,  therefore,  had  an  im- 
portant part  to  play.  Two  strong  cables  would  be 
required,  so  Karl  told  him,  each  about  a  hundred  feet 
in  length,  besides  many  other  ropes  and  cords.  It 
would  be  necessary  to  hunt  with  some  success  before 
these  could  be  obtained.  More  than  one  large  hide,  a 
dozen  at  least,  would  be  required ;  but  Caspar  was  just 
the  man  to  do  his  part  of  the  work,  and  procure  them. 

For  the  timbers,  the  trees  out  of  whicli  they  were  to 
be  made  had  already  been  doomed.  Even  that  morn- 


THE    HUT.  181 

ing  four  trees  had  been  marked  by  the  axe  and  girdled. 
These  were  pine  trees,  of  the  species  known  as  Thibet 
pines,  which  grow  to  a  great  height,  with  tall  trunks 
clear  of  branches  full  fifty  feet  from  the  ground.  Of 
course  it  was  not  the  largest  trees  that  were  chosen ;  as 
it  would  have  cost  too  much  labor  to  have  reduced  theii 
trunks  to  the  proper  dimension,  and  particularly  with 
such  tools  as  the  workmen  had.  On  the  contrary,  the 
trees  that  were  selected  were  those  very  near  the  thick- 
ness that  would  be  required ;  and  but  little  would  have 
to  be  done,  beyond  clearing  them  of  the  bark  and  hew- 
ing the  heavier  ends,  so  as  to  make  the  scantling  of 
equal  weight  and  thickness  all  throughout  their  length. 
The  splicing  each  two  of  them  together  would  be  an 
operation  requiring  the  greatest  amount  of  care  and 
labor. 

All  their  designs  being  fully  discussed,  each  set  about 
his  own  share  of  the  work.  Karl  and  Ossaroo  betook 
themselves  to  the  pine-forest,  while  Caspar  prepared  to 
go  in  search  of  the  game. 


182  THE   BARKING-DEER. 


CHAPTER  XXXTLI. 

THE   BARKING-DEER. 

"Now,"  said  Caspar  to  himself,  as  he  shouldered  hia 
double-barrelled  gun,  and  started  forth,  "  now  to  find 
that  same  herd  of  grunters !  They're  the  biggest  ani- 
mals here*  I  fancy,  and  their  beef's  not  bad — the  veal 
isn't,  I  know.  Besides,  the  hide  of  the  old  bull  would 
make — let  me  see — how  many  yards  of  rope." 

Here  Caspar  entered  into  a  mental  calculation  as  to 
what  length  of  raw-hide  rope,  of  two  inches  in  diame- 
ter, might  be  twisted  out  of  the  yak  bull's  skin.  Karl 
had  said  two  inches  in  diameter  would  be  strong  enough 
for  his  purpose,  provided  the  hide  of  the  animal  was  as 
tough  as  ordinary  cow's  hide ;  and  this  the  skin  of  the 
yak  really  is. 

The  young  hunter,  after  much  computation,  having 
stripped  the  great  bull  of  his  skin,  and  spread  it  out 
upon  the  grass,  and  measured  it — all  in  fancy  of  course 
— and  cut  it  into  strips  of  near  three  inches  in  width— 
had  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that  he  would  get  about 
twenty  yards  of  sound  rope  out  of  the  hide. 

Then  he  submitted  the  skins  of  the  cows  to  a  similar 
process  of  measurement.  There  were  four  of  them—- 
there had  been  five,  but  one  was  already  killed.  To 


THE    BARKING-DEER.  183 

each  of  the  four  Caspar  allowed  a  yield  of  ten  yards  of 
r0pe — as  each  of  them  was  only  a  little  more  than  half 
the  size  of  the  bull — besides  their  skins  would  not  be 
either  so  thick  or  so  strong. 

There  were  four  half-grown  yaks — young  bulls  and 
heifers.  Caspar  remembered  the  number  well,  for  he 
had  noted  this  while  stalking  them.  To  these  he 
allowed  still  less  yield  than  to  the  cows — perhaps  thirty 
yards  from  the  four.  So  that  the  hides  of  all — old 
bull,  cows,  and  yearlings — would,  according  to  Caspar's 
calculation,  give  a  cable  of  ninety  yards  in  length. 
What  a  pity  it  would  not  make  a  hundred — for  that 
was  about  the  length  that  Karl  had  said  the  cable 
should  be.  True,  there  were  some  young  calves  in  the 
herd,  but  Caspar  could  make  no  calculation  on  these. 
Their  skins  might  serve  for  other  purposes,  but  they 
would  not  do  for  working  up  into  the  strong  cable 
which  Karl  required. 

"  Maybe  there  is  more  than  the  one  herd  in  the  val- 
ley," soliloquized  Caspar.  "  If  so  it  will  be  all  right. 
Another  bull  would  be  just  the  thing ; "  and  with  this 
reflection  the  hunter  brought  his  double-barrel  down, 
looked  to  his  flints  and  priming,  returned  the  gun  to  his 
shoulder,  and  then  walked  briskly  on. 

Caspar  had  no  fear  that  he  should  be  able  to  kill  all 
the  yaks  they  had  seen.  He  was  sure  of  slaughtering 
the  whole  herd.  One  thing  certain,  these  animals  could 
no  more  get  out  of  the  valley  than  could  the  hunter 
himself.  If  they  had  ever  been  in  the  habit  of  going 
out  of  it  to  visit  other  pastures,  they  must  have  gone  by 
the  glacier ;  and  they  were  not  likely  to  traverse  that 
path  any  more.  The  hunter  now  had  them  at  an 


184  THE   BARKING-DEER. 

advantage — in  fact,  they  were  regularly  penned  up  for 
him ! 

After  all,  however,  it  was  not  such  a  pen.  The 
valley  was  a  full  mile  *in  width,  and  rather  better  in 
length.  It  was  a  little  country  of  itself.  It  was  far 
from  being  of  an  even  or  equal  surface.  Some  parts 
were  hilly,  and  great  rocks  lay  scattered  over  the  sur- 
face here  and  there,  in  some  places  forming  great 
mounds  several  hundred  feet  high,  with  cliffs  and 
ravines  between  them,  and  trees  growing  in  the  clefts. 
Then  there  were  dark  woods  and  thick  tangled  jungle 
tracts,  where  it  was  almost  impossible  to  make  one's  way 
through.  Oh,  there  was  plenty  of  covert  for  game,  and 
the  dullest  animal  might  escape  from  the  keenest  hunter 
in  such  places.  Still  the  game  could  not  go  clear  away; 
and  although  the  yaks  might  get  off  on  an  occasion,  they 
were  sure  to  turn  up  again ;  and  Caspar  trusted  to  his 
skill  to  be  able  to  circumvent  them  at  one  time  or 
another. 

Never  in  his  life  before  had  Caspar  such  motives  for 
displaying  his  hunter  skill.  His  liberty — that  of  all  oi 
them — depended  on  all  his  success  in  procuring  the 
necessary  number  of  hides ;  and  this  was  spur  enough 
to  excite  him  to  the  utmost. 

In  starting  forth  from  the  hut,  he  had  taken  his  way 
along  the  edge  of  the  lake.  Several  opportunities 
offered  of  a  shot  at  Brahmin  geese  and  wild  ducks 
but,  in  anticipation  of  finding  the  yaks,  he  had  loaded 
both  barrels  of  his  gun  with  balls.  This  he  had  done 
in  order  to  be  prepared  for  the  great  bull,  whose  thick 
hide  even  buck-shot  would  scarce  have  pierced.  A 
shot  at  the  waterfowl,  therefore,  could  not  be  thought 


THE    BARKING-DEER.  185 

of.  There  would  be  every  chance  cf  missing  them  with 
the  bullet;  and  neither  powder  nor  lead  were  such 
plentiful  articles  as  to  be  thrown  away  idly.  He  there- 
fore reserved  his  fire,  and  walked  on. 

Nothing  appeared  to  be  about  the  edge  of  the  lake ; 
and  after  going  a  short  distance  he  turned  off  from  the 
water  and  headed  the  direction  of  the  cliffs.  He  hoped 
to  find  the  herd  of  yaks  among  the  rocks — for  Karl, 
who  knew  something  of  the  natural  history  of  these 
animals,  had  told  him  that  they  frequented  steep  rocky 
places  in  preference  to  level  ground. 

Caspar's  path  now  led  him  through  a  belt  of  timber, 
and  then  appeared  a  little  opening  on  which  there  was 
a  good  deal  of  tall  grass,  and  here  and  there  a  low 
copse  or  belt  of  shrubbery. 

Of  course  he  went  cautiously  along — as  a  hunter 
should  do — at  every  fresh  vista  looking  ahead  for  his 
game. 

While  passing  through  the  open  ground  his  attention 
was  attracted  to  a  noise  that  appeared  to  be  very  near 
him.  It  exactly  resembled  the  barking  of  a  fox — a 
sound  with  which  Caspar  was  familiar,  having  often 
heard  foxes  bark  in  his  native  country.  The  bark, 
however,  appeared  to  him  to  be  louder  and  more  dis- 
tinct than  that  of  a  common  fox. 

"  Perhaps,"  said  he  to  himself,  "  the  foxes  of  these 
mountains  are  bigger  than  our  German  reynards,  and 
can  therefore  bark  louder.  Let  me  see  if  it  be  a  fox. 
I'm  not  going  to  waste  a  bullet  on  him  either ;  but  I 
should  like  just  to  have  a  look  at  a  Himalaya  fox." 

With  these  reflections  Caspar  stole  softly  through  the 
grass  in  the  direction  whence  issued  the  sounds. 


186  THE    BARKING-DEER. 

He  had  not  advanced  many  paces  when  he  came  in 
sight  of  an  animal  differing  altogether  from  a  fox ;  but 
the  very  one  that  was  making  the  noise.  This  wag 
certain,  for  while  he  stood  regarding  it,  he  perceived  it 
in  the  very  act  of  uttering  that  noise,  or  barking,  as  we 
already  called  it. 

Caspar  felt  very  much  inclined  to  laugh  aloud,  on 
perceiving  that  the  barking  animal  was  neither  fox,  nor 
dog,  nor  yet  a  wolf,  nor  any  other  creature  that  is  known 
to  bark,  but  on  the  contrary  an  animal  of  a  far  differ- 
ent nature — a  deer.  Yes,  it  was  really  a  deer  that  was 
giving  utterance  to  those  canine  accents. 

It  was  a  small,  slightly-made  creature,  standing  about 
two  feet  in  height,  with  horns  seven  or  eight -inches 
long.  It  might  have  passed  for  an  antelope  ;  but  Cas- 
par observed  that  on  each  horn  there  was  an  antler — a 
very  little  one,  only  an  inch  or  so  in  length — and  that 
decided  him  that  it  must  be  an  animal  of  the  deer  fam- 
ily. Its  color  was  lighjt  red,  its  coat  short  and  smooth, 
and,  on  a  closer  view,  Caspar  saw  that  it  had  a  tusk  in 
each  jaw,  projecting  outside  the  mouth,  something  like 
the  tushes  of  the  musk-deer.  It  was,  in  fact,  a  closely- 
allied  species.  It  was  the  "  kakur,"  or  "  barking-deer ; " 
BO  called  from  its  barking  habit,  which  had  drawn  the 
attention  of  the  hunter  upon  it. 

Of  the  barking-deer,  like  most  other  deer  of  India, 
there  are  several  varieties  very  little  known  to  natural- 
ists ;  and  the  species  called  the  "  muntjak "  ( Cervus 
vagincdis)  is  one  of  these.  It  also  has  the  protruding 
tushes,  and  the  solitary  antler  upon  its  horns. 

The  "  barking-deer  is  common  on  the  lower  hills  of 
the  Himalaya  Mountains,  as  high  as  seven  or  eight 


THE    BARKING-DEER.  18  / 

thousand  feet ;  but  they  sometimes  wander  up  the 
courses  of  rivers,  or  valley  gorges,  to  a  much  higher 
elevation ;  and  the  one  now  observed  by  Caspar  had 
possibly  strayed  up  the  glacier  valley  in  midsummer, 
guided  by  curiosity,  or  some  instinct,  that  carried  it 
into  the  beautiful  ralley  that  lay  beyond.  Poor  little 
fellow  !  it  never  found  its  way  back  again  ;  for  Caspar 
bored  its  body  through  and  through  with  a  bullet  from 
\\&  right-hand  barrel,  and  hung  its  bleeding  carcass  on 
*he  branch  of  a  tree. 

He  did  not  shoot  it  upon  sight,  however.  He  hesi- 
tated for  some  time  whether  it  would  be  prudent  to 
waste  a  shot  upon  so  tiny  a  morsel,  and  had  even  per- 
mitted it  to  run  away. 

As  it  went  off,  he  was  surprised  at  a  singular  noise 
which  it  made  in  running,  not  unlike  the  rattling  of  two 
pieces  of  loose  bone  knocked  sharply  together ;  in  fact, 
a  pair  of  castanets.  This  he  could  hear  after  it  had 
got  fifty  yards  from  him,  and,  perhaps,  farther;  but 
there  the  creature  suddenly  stopped,  turned  its  head 
round,  and  stood  barking  as  before. 

Caspar  could  not  make  out  the  cause  of  such  a 
strange  noise,  nor,  indeed,  has  any  naturalist  yet  offered 
an  explanation  of  this  phenomenon.  Perhaps  it  is  the 
cracking  of  the  hoofs  against  each  other,  or,  more  likely, 
the  two  divisions  of  each  hoof  coming  sharply  together, 
when  raised  suddenly  from  the  ground.  It  is  well 
known  that  a  similar,  only  much  louder  noise,  is  made 
by  the  long  hoofs  of  the  great  moose-deer ;  and  the  little 
kakur  probably  exhibits  the  same  phenomenon  on  a 
smaller  scale. 

Caspar  did  not  speculate  long  about  the  cause.  The 
9 


188  THE   BARKING-DEER. 

creature,  as  it  stood  right  before  the  muzzle  of  his  gun, 
now  offered  too  tempting  a  shot,  and  the  right-hand 
barrel  put  an  end  to  its  barking. 

"  You're  not  what  I  came  after1/'  soliloquized  Caspar ; 
"  but  the  old  stag's  no  great  eating,  he's  too  tough  for 
me.  You,  my  .little  fellow,  look  more  tender,  and,  I 
dare  say,  will  make  capital  venison.  Hang  there,  then, 
till  I  return  for  you  !  " 

So  saying,  Caspar,  having  already  strung  the  kakur's 
legs,  lifted  the  carcass,  and  hung  it  to  the  branch  of  a 
tree. 

Then,  reloading  his  right-hand  barrel  with  a  fresh 
bullet,  he  continued  on  in  search  of  the  herd  of  yaks. 


THE    ARGUS-PHEASANT.  189 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE    ARGUS    PHEASANT. 

CASPAR  proceeded  with  increased  caution.  His  de- 
eign  was  to  stalk  the  wild  oxen ;  and  he  had  left  Fritz 
at  the  hut,  as  the  dog  could  be  of  no  use  in  that  sort  of 
hunting. 

He  intended  to  stalk  the  animals  with  more  than 
ordinary  caution,  for  two  reasons.  The  first  was,  of 
course,  in  order  to  get  a  shot  at  them ;  but  there  was 
another  reason  why  he  should  be  careful,  and  that  was, 
the  fierce  and  dangerous  nature  of  the  game.  He  had 
not  forgotten  the  way  in  which  the  old  bull  had  behaved 
at  their  last  interview  ;  and  Karl  had  particularly  cau- 
tioned him,  before  setting  out,  to  act  prudently,  and  to 
keep  out  of  the  way  of  the  bull's  horns.  He  was  not 
to  fire  at  the  yaks,  unless  there  was  a  tree  near,  or 
Borne  other  shelter,  to  which  he  could  retreat  if  pursued 
by  the  bull. 

The  necessity,  therefore,  of  choosing  such  a  point  of 
attack,  would  make  his  stalk  all  the  more  difficult. 

He  walked  silently  on,  sometimes  through  spots  of 
open  ground ;  at  others,  traversing  belts  of  woodland, 
or  tracts  of  thickety  jungle.  Wherever  there  was  a 
reach,  or  open  space,  he  stopped  before  going  out  of 


190  THE    ARGUS-PHEASANT. 

the  cover,  and  looked  well  before  him.  He  had  no 
wish  to  come  plump  on  the  game  he  was  in  search  of, 
lest  he  might  get  too  close  to  the  old  bull.  Fifty  or 
sixty  yards  was  the  distance  he  desired ;  and,  with  the 
large  bullets  his  gun  carried,  he  would  have  been  near 
enough  at  that.  . 

Several  kinds  of  large  birds  flew  up  from  his  path, 
as  he  advanced ;  among  others,  the  beautiful  argus- 
pheasant,  that  almost  rivals  the  peacock  in  the  splendor 
of  its  plumage.  These  rare  creatures  would  whirr 
upward,  and  alight  among  the  branches  of  the  trees 
overhead  ;  and,  strange  to  say,  although  nearly  as  large 
as  peacocks,  and  of  a  most  striking  and  singular  form, 
Caspar  could  never*  get  his  eyes  upon  them  after  they 
had  once  perched. 

It  is  the  habit  of  these  birds,  when  aware  of  the 
presence  of  the  hunter,  to  remain  perfectly  silent  and 
motionless,  and  it  requires  the  keenest  eyes  to  make 
them  out  among  the  leaves.  In  fact,  the  very  beauty 
of  their  singular  plumage,  which  makes  the  argus- 
pheasant  so  marked  and  attractive  an  object  when  side 
by  side  with  other  birds,  is  the  very  thing  which,  amid 
the  foliage  of  trees,  renders  it  so  difficult  to  be  seen. 
Ocellated  as  the  bird  is  all  over  its  body,  wings,  and 
tail,  the  general  effect  is  such  as  rather  to  conceal  it. 
A  disk  of  the  same  size  of  an  unbroken  color,  even 
though  the  tints  be  less  brilliant,  is  far  more  likely  to 
arrest  the  eye-glance.  Besides,  the  collected  foliage  of 
the  trees,  when  gazed  at  from  beneath,  presents  a  spe- 
cies of  ocellation,  to  which  that  of  the  argus-pheasant  is 
in  some  way  assimilated.  This  may  be  a  provision  of 
nature,  for  the  protection  of  this  beautiful  and  otherwise 


THE    ARGUS-PHEASANT.  191 

helpless  bird ;  for  it  is  no  great  creature  at  a  flight, 
with  all  its  fine  plumes ;  and,  but  for  its  power  of 
thus  concealing  itself,  would  easily  fall  a  prey  to  the 
sportsman. 

Naturalists  often,  and,  perhaps,  oftener  hunters,  have 
noted  this  adaptation  of  the  color  of  .wild  animals  to 
their  haunts  and  habits.  The  jaguars,  the  leopards,  and 
panthers,  whose  bright,  yellow  skins,  beautifully  spotted 
as  they  are,  would  seem  to  render  them  most  conspic- 
uous objects,  are,  in  reality,  the  most  difficult  to  be  per- 
ceived amid  the  haunts  which  they  inhabit.  An  animal 
of  equal  size,  and  of  the  dullest  coloring,  provided  it 
were  uniform,  would  be  more  easily  seen  than  they. 
Their  very  beauty  renders  them  invisible  ;  since  their 
numerous  spots,  interrupting  the  uniformity  of  color, 
breaks  up  the  large  disk  of  their  bodies  into  a  hundred 
small  ones,  and  even  destroys,  to  the  superficial  glance, 
the  form  which  would  otherwise  betray  their  presence. 

For  some  such  reason  then  the  argus-pheasant  is 
most  difficult  to  be  seen,  when  once  settled  on  his  perch 
among  the  leaves  and  twigs  of  the  trees.  But  though 
himself  not  observed,  he  sees  all  that  passes  below. 
He  is  well  named.  Although  the  eyes  all  over  his 
body  be  blind,  he  carries  a  pair  in  his  head,  that  rival 
those  of  the  famed  watchman  from  whom  he  borrows 
his  surname.  He  keeps  the  sportsman  well  in  sight ; 
and  should  the  latter  succeed  in  espying  him,  the  argus 
knows  well  when  he  is  discovered,  and  the  moment  a 
cock  clicks  or  a  barrel  is  poised  upward,  he  is  off  with 
a  loud  whirr  that  causes  the  woods  to  ring. 

But,  as  already  stated,  he  is  no  great  flyer.  The 
emallness  of  the  primary  quills  of  his  wing — as  well  as 


192  THE    ARGUS-PHEASANT. 

the  unwieldy  size  of  the  secondaries,  forms  an  impedi 
ment  to  his  progress  through  the  air,  and  his  flight  ig 
short  and  heavy.  He  is  a  good  runner,  however,  like 
all  birds  of  his  kind ;  and  he  passes  rapidly  over  the 
ground,  using  his  wings  in  running  like  the  wild  tur- 
key, to  which  bird  he  is  kindred.  When  the  argus- 
pheasant  is  at  rest  or  unexcited,  his  plumage  is  neither 
so  bright  nor  beautiful.  It  is  when  showing  himself 
off  in  the  presence  of  his  females  that  he  appears  to 
best  advantage.  Then  he  expands  his  spotted  wings, 
and  trails  them  on  the  ground  in  the  same  manner  as 
the  peacock.  His  tail,  too,  becomes  spread  and  raised 
erect,  whereas  at  other  times  it  is  carried  in  a  line  with 
the  body  with  the  two  long  feathers  folded  over  each 
other. 

The  argus-pheasant  (which  closet-naturalists  now  say 
is  not  a  pheasant,  but  an  argus!)  is  peculiar  to  the 
southern  parts  of  Asia,  though  the  limits  of  its  range 
are  not  well  understood.  It  is  found  in  all  parts  of 
India,  and  also,  as  is  supposed,  in  China,  even  in  the 
northern  provinces  of  that  country. 

But  the  argus  is  not  the  only  beautiful  pheasant  of 
these  regions.  India,  or  rather  southern  Asia,  is  the 
true  home  of  the  pheasant  tribe.  Already  nearly  a 
dozen  species  of  these  birds,  some  of  them  far  more 
beautiful  than  the  birds  of  paradise,  are  known  to 
naturalists ;  and  when  the  ornithology  of  the  Indian 
Islands  has  been  thoroughly  investigated,  a  still  greater 
number  will  be  found  to  exist  there. 

The  Impeyan  pheasant,  larger  than  the  common 
fowl,  rivals  the  crested  peacock  in  the  brilliancy  of  its 
hues.  No  words  can  give  any  adequate  idea  of  the 


THE   ARGUS-PHEASANT.  193 

splendour  of  this  bird.  Nearly  the  whole  surface  of  ita 
plumage  is  resplendent — dazzling  with  changing  hues  of 
green  and  steel-blue,  of  violet  and  gold.  It  looks  as  if 
its  body  was  clothed  in  a  scale  armor  of  bright  shining 
metal,  while  the  plumage  is  soft  and  velvety  to  the 
touch.  This  magnificent  bird  is  a  native  of  the  Hima- 
laya Mountains ;  where  is  also  found  another  splendid 
species,  the  peacock-pheasant  of  Thibet,  the  latter  close- 
ly alied  to  a  still  more  gorgeous  bird,  the  crested  poly- 
plectron  of  the  Moluccas. 

One  cannot  look  upon  these  lovely  winged  creatures 
without  a  feeling  of  gratitude  to  Him  who  sent  them  to 
adorn  the  earth,  and  give  pleasure  to  all  who  may 
behold  them. 


194  STALKING   THE    YAKS. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

STALKING   THE   YAKS. 

CASPAR  was  not  out  pheasant-shooting,  and  there 
fore  these  beautiful  birds  were  permitted  to  fly  off 
unscathed.  Caspar's  game  was  the  grunting  Jjull. 

Where  could  the  herd  be?  He  had  already  trav- 
ersed half  the  extent  of  the  valley  without  finding  the 
yaks ;  but  there  was  nothing  singular  in  this.  There 
was  plenty  of  covert  among  the  rocks  and  woods ;  and 
wild  animals,  however  large,  have  an  instinct  or  a 
faculty  of  concealing  themselves  that  often  surprises 
the  hunter.  Even  the  gigantic  elephant  will  get  out 
of  sight  amidst  thin  jungle,  where  you  might  suppose 
his  huge  body  could  hardly  be  hidden ;  and  the  great 
black  buffalo  often  springs  unexpectedly  out  of  a  bushy 
covert  not  much  bigger  than  his  own  body.  Just  as 
partridges  can  squat  unseen  in  the  shortest  stubble,  or 
squirrels  lie  hid  along  the  slenderest  branch,  so  have 
the  larger  wild  animals  the  faculty  of  concealing  them- 
selves in  a  covert  proportionately  scanty. 

The  young  hunter  was  aware  of  this  fact ;  and  there- 
fore was  not  so  much  surprised  that  he  did  not  at  once 
come  in  sight  of  the  yaks.  The  former  attack  upon 
them,  resulting  in  the  loss  of  two  of  their  number,  Jiad 
rendered  them  wary ;  and  the  noises  made  in  building 


STALKING   THE   YAKS.  195 

the  hut  had,  no  doubt,  driven  them  to  the  most  secluded 
corner  of  the  valley.  Thither  Caspar  was  bending  his 
steps. 

He  was  calculating  that  they  would  be  found  in  some 
cover,  and  was  beginning  to  regret  that  he  had  not 
brought  Fritz,  instead  of  trying  to  stalk  them,  when  all 
at  once  the  herd  came  under  his  eyes.  They  were 
quietly  browsing  out  in  a  stretch  of  open  ground — the 
young  calves,  as  on  the  former  occasion,  playing  with 
each  other,  tearing  about  over  the  ground,  biting  one 
another,  and  uttering  their  tiny  grunts,  like  so  many 
young  perkers.  The  cows  and  yearlings  were  feeding 
unconcernedly — occasionally  raising  their  heads  and 
looking  around,  but  not  with-  any  signs  of  uneasiness 
or  fear.  The  bull  was  not  in  sight ! 

"Where  can  he  be?"  inquired  Caspar  of  himself. 
"Perhaps  these  may  be  a  different  herd;  'one,  two, 
three ; ' "  and  Caspar  went  on  to  tell  over  the  individ- 
uals of  the  flock. 

"  Yes,"  he  continued,  muttering  to  himself,  "  they  are 
the  same,  I  fancy:  three  cows — four  yearlings — the 
calves — exactly  the  number — all  except  the  bull. — 
Where  can  the  old  rascal  have  concealed  himself?  " 

And  with  his  eyes  Caspar  swept  the  whole  of  the 
open  space,  and  looked  narrowly  along  the  selvidge  of 
the  timber  which  grew  around  it.  No  bull,  however, 
was  to  be  seen. 

'*  Now  where  can  the  old  grunter  have  gone  to  ? " 
again  inquired  Caspar  of  himself.  "  Is  he  off  by  him- 
self, or  along  with  some  other  herd  ?  Surely  there  is 
but  the  one  family  in  this  valley.  Yaks  are  gregarious 
animals  :  Karl  says  so.  If  there  were  more  of  them, 


196  STALKING   THE    YAKS. 

they  would  be  all  together.  The  bull  must  be  ranging 
abroad  by  himself,  on  some  business  of  his  own.  After 
all,  I  suspect  he's  not  far  off.  I  dare  say  he's  in  yonder 
thicket.  I'd  wager  a  trifle  the  knowing  old  fellow  has 
a  trick  in  his  head.  He's  keeping  sentry  over  the  flock, 
while  he  himself  remains  unseen.  In  that  way  he  has 
the  advantage  of  any  enemy  who  may  assail  them.  A 
wolf,  or  bear,  or  any  preying  beast  that  should  want  to 
attack  the  calves  where  they  now  are,  would  be  certain 
to  approach  them  by  that  very  thicket.  Indeed,  I  should 
have  done  so  myself,  if  I  didn't  know  that  there  was  a 
bull.  I  should  have  crouched  round  the  timber  and  got 
under  cover  of  the  bushes,  which  would  have  brought 
me  nicely  within  range.  But  now  I  shall  do  no  such 
thing  ;  for  I  suspect  strongly  the  old  boy's  in  the  bushes. 
He  would  be  on  me  with  a  rush  if  I  went  that  way,  and 
in  the  thicket  there's  not  a  tree  big  enough  to  shelter  a 
chased  cat.  It's  all  brush  and  thorn  bushes.  It  won't 
do  ;  I  shan't  stalk  them  from  that  direction ;  but  how 
else  can  I  approach  them  ?  There's  no  other  cover. 
Ha  !  Bonder  rock  will  serve  my  purpose  ! " 

Caspar  was  not  half  the  time  in  going  through 
this  soliloquy  that  you  have  been  in  reading  it.  It  was 
a  mental  process  entirely,  and,  of  course,  carried  on  with 
the  usual  rapidity  of  thought.  The  interjection  which 
ended  it,  and  the  allusion  to  a  rock,  were  caused  by  his 
perceiving  that  a  certain  rock  might  afford  him  the 
necessary  cover  for  approaching  the  game. 

This  rock  he  had  observed  long  before — in  fact,  the 
moment  he  had  seen  the  herd.  He  could  not  have  failed 
to  observe  it,  for  it  lay  right  in  the  middle  of  the  open 
ground,  neither  tree  nor  bush  being  near  to  hide  it.  It 


STALKING    THE   YAKS.  197 

was  of  enormous  size,  too — nearly  as  big  as  a  hovel, 
square-sided  and  apparently  flat-topped.  Of  course,  he 
had  noticed  it  at  the  first  glance,  but  had  not  thought  of 
making  it  a  stalking-horse — the  thicket  seeming  to  offer 
him  a  better  advantage. 

Now,  however,  when  he  dared  not  enter  the  thicket — 
lest  he  might  there  encounter  the  bull — he  turned  his 
attention  to  the  rock. 

By  keeping  the  boulder  between  him  and  the  yaks, 
he  could  approach  behind  it,  and  that  would  bring  him 
within  distance  of  the  one  or  two  of  the  herd  that  were 
nearest.  Indeed,  the  whole  flock  appeared  to  be  inclin- 
ing towards  the  rock ;  and  he  calculated,  that  by  the 
time  he  could  get  there  himself  they  would  all  be  near 
enough,  and  he  might  make  choice  of  the  biggest. 

Up  to  this  time  he  had  remained  under  cover  of  the 
timber,  at  the  point  where  he  first  came  in  sight  of  the 
yaks.  Still  keeping  in  the  bushes,  he  made  a  circuit, 
until  the  rock  was  put  between  him  and  the  herd.  Big 
as  the  boulder  was,  it  hardly  covered  the  whole  flock  ; 
and  much  caution  would  be  required  to  get  up  to  it 
without  alarming  them.  He  saw  that  if  he  could  once 
pass  over  the  first  one  hundred  yards,  the  rock,  then 
subtending  a  larger  angle  of  vision,  would  shield  him 
from  their  sight,  and  he  might  walk  fearlessly  forward 
But  the  first  hundred  yards  would  be  awkward  stalking. 
Crawling  flat  upon  his  breast  appeared  to  be  his  only 
chance.  But  Caspar  had  often  stalked  chamois  on  his 
native  hills  ;  and  many  a  crawl  had  he  made,  over  rocks 
and  gravel,  and  ice  and  snow.  He  thought  nothing, 
therefore,  of  progression  in  this  way,  and  a  hundred 
yards  would  be  a  mere  bagatelle. 


198  STALKING   THE   YAKS. 

Without  farther  hesitation,  therefore,  he  dropped  to 
his  marrow-bones,  and  then  flat  upon  his  breast,  and  in 
this  attitude  commenced  wriggling  and  shuffling  along 
like  a  gigantic  salamander.  Fortunately  the  grass  grew 
a  foot  or  more  in  height,  and  that  concealed  him  from 
the  view  of  the  yaks.  On  he  went,  pushing  his  gun 
before  him,  and  every  now  and  then  raising  his  eyes 
cautiously  above  the  sward  to  note  the  position  of  the 
herd.  When  it  changed,  he  also  deflected  slightly  from 
his  course — so  as  always  to  keep  the  centre  of  the  rock 
aligned  upon  the  bodies  of  the  animals. 

After  about  ten  minutes  of  this  horizontal  travelling, 
the  hunter  found  himself  within  thirty  paces  of  the  great 
boulder.  Its  broad  sides  now  appeared  sufficient  to 
cover  the  whole  flock  ;  and  as  crawling  along  the  ground 
was  by  no  means  pleasant,  Caspar  was  fain  to  give  it 
up,  and  take  once  more  to  his  feet.  He  rose  erect, 
therefore ;  and  running  nimbly  forward,  in  another  mo« 
he  stood  behind  the  rock. 


CASPAR   RETREATS    TO    THE    ROCK.  199 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

CASPAR  RETREATS  TO  THE  ROCK. 

CASPAR  now  perceived  that  the  Tock  was  not  all  in 
one  piece.  In  other  words,  there  were  two  rocks — both 
of  them  immense  boulders,  but  of  very  unequal  size. 
The  largest,  as  already  observed,  was  of  the  size  of  a 
small  house,  or  it  might  be  compared  to  a  load  of  hay ; 
while  the  smaller  was  not  much  bigger  than  the  wagon. 
They  lay  almost  contiguous  to  each  other,  with  a  nar- 
row space,  about  a  foot  in  width,  forming  a  sort  of  alley 
between  them.  This  space  resembled  a  cleft,  as  if  the 
two  blocks  had  once  been  united,  and  some  terrible  force 
had  cloven  them  asunder. 

Caspar  only  glanced  at  these  peculiarities  as  he  came 
up — his  eye  mechanically  searching  for  the  best  point 
of  the  rock  to  shelter  him  from  the  game,  while  it  af- 
forded him  an  opportunity  of  aiming  at  them.  It  was 
altogether  a  very  awkward  cover — the  rock  was  square- 
sided  as  a  wall,  with  no  jutting  point  that  he  could  crawl 
behind  and  rest  his  gun  over.  In  fact,  at  the  corners  it 
rather  hung  over,  resting  on  a  base  narrower  than  its 
diameter.  There  was  no  Jbush  near  to  it — not  even  long 
grass  to  accommodate  him.  The  ground  was  quite  bare, 
and  had  the  appearance  of  being  much  trampled,  as  if 


200  CASPAR    RETREATS    TO    THE   ROCK. 

it  was  a  favorite  resort — in  fact,  a  "  rubbing-stone  "  for 
the  yaks.  It  was  their  tracks  Caspar  saw  around 
it — some  of  them  quite  fresh — and  conspicuous  amopg 
the  rest  were  some  that  by  their  size  must  have  been 
made  by  the  hoofs  of  the  bull. 

The  sight  of  these  large  fresh- tracks  conducted  Cas- 
par, and  very  suddenly  too,  into  a  train  of  reflections 
thaC  were  anything  but  agreeable. 

«  The  bull's  tracks ! "  muttered  he  to  himself.  "  Quite 
fresh,  by  thunder !  Why  he  must  have  been  here  but 
a  minute  ago  !  What  if  " 

Here  Caspar's  heart  thumped  so  violently  against 
his  ribs,  that  he  could  scarce  finish  the  interrogation. 

— "  What  if  he  be  on  the  other  side  of  the  rock  ?  " 

The  hunter  was  in  a  dilemma.  Up  to  that  moment 
he  had  never  thought  of  the  probability  of  the  bull 
being  behind  the  rock.  He  had  taken  it  into  his  fancy, 
that  the  thicket  must  be  the  place  of  his  concealment, 
but  without  any  very  good  reason  did  he  fancy  this. 
It  was  assigning  more  cunning  to  the  animal  than  was 
natural ;  and  now  on  second  thoughts  Caspar  perceived 
that  it  was  far  more  probable  the  bull  should  be  sunning 
himself  on  the  other  side  of  the  great  boulder !  There 
he  would  be  near  to  the  herd, — and  likely  enough  there 
he  was. 

"  By  thunder ! "  mentally  exclaimed  Caspar,  "  if  he 
be  there,  the  sooner  I  get  back  to  the  timber  the  better 
for  my  health.  I  never  thought  of  it.  He  could  run 
me  down  in  half  a  minute.  There's  no  place  to  escape 
to.  Ha  ! — what ! — good !  " 

These  ejaculations  escaped  from  the  hunter  as  he 
cast  his  eyes  upward.  It  was  a  peculiarity  in  the  form 


CASPAR  RETREATS  TO  THE  ROCK.      201 

of  the  rocks  that  had  caused  him  to  utter  them.  He 
noticed  that  the  lesser  one  had  a  sloping  ridge  that 
could  be  easily  ascended ;  and  from  its  highest  point 
the  top  of  the  larger  might  also  be  reached  by  a  little 
active  climbing. 

"Good!"  repeated  he  to  himself;  "I'll  be  safe 
enough  there,  and  I  can  easily  get  up  if  I'm  chased. 
The  top  of  the  rock's  equal  to  any  tree.  It'll  do  if  I 
am  put  to  the  pinch ;  so  here  goes  for  a  shot,  bull  or  no 
bull!" 

Saying  this,  he  once  more  looked  to  his  gun ;  and 
kneeling  down  close  in  to  the  great  rock,  he  commenced 
shuffling  round  one  of  its  impending  corners,  in  order 
to  get  within  view  of  the  herd. 

He  did  not  move  one  inch  forward  without  looking 
well  before  him  into  the  plain  where  the  yaks  were 
feeding,  but  quite  as  anxiously  did  he  bend  his  eyes 
around  the  edge  of  the  boulder,  where  he  surmised  the 
bull  might  be.  He  even  listened  at  intervals,  expect- 
ing to  hear  the  latter  breathing  or  giving  a  grunt,  or 
some  other  sign,  by  which  his  presence  might  be  made 
known. 

If  behind  the  rock  at  all  he  must  be  very  near, 
thought  Caspar — near  enough  for  his  breathing  to  be 
heard ;  and  once  Caspar  fancied  that  he  actually  heard 
a  grunt,  which  did  not  proceed  from  any  of  the  herd. 

The  hunter,  however,  had  less  fear  now,  as  he  be- 
lieved he  couM  retreat  to  the  rock  before  even  the 
swiftest  animal  could  overtake  him.  He  therefore 
moved  on  with  sufficient  confidence. 

You  are  not  to  suppose  that  all  these  thoughts  and 
movements  occupied  much  time.  There  were  not  five 


202      CASPAR  RETREATS  TO  THE  ROCfc. 

minutes  Consumed  from  the  time  Caspar  arrived  at  the 
rocks,  until  he  had  taken  all  his  measures ;  and  another 
minute  or  two  were  occupied  in  creeping  round  within 
view  of  the  herd — where  at  length  Caspar  arrived. 

As  yet  no  bull  was  seen.  He  might  still  be  there, 
but  if  so,  he  was  farther  round  the  corner  of  the  rock ; 
and  the  sight  of  the  others  now  fair  before  the  muzzle 
of  Caspar5*  gun  drove  all  thoughts  of  the  bull  out  of 
his  mind.  He  resolved  to  fire  at  the  nearest. 

Quick  as  thought  the  gun  was  to  his  shoulder,  his 
finger  touched  the  trigger,  and  the  loud  report  echoed 
from  the  distant  cliffs.  The  ball  told,  and  a  cow  was 
bowled  over,  and  lay  sprawling  on  the  plain.  Bang 
went  the  second  barrel,  and  a  young  bull  with  a  broken 
leg  went  hobbling  off  toward  the  thicket.  The  rest  of 
the  herd  tore  away  at  top  speed,  and  were  soon  lost 
sight  of  in  the  bushes. 

A  little  calf  alone  remained  by  the  cow  that  had 
fallen.  It  ran  frisking  around,  uttering  its  singular 
cries,  and  seemingly  astonished  and  unable  to  compre- 
hend the  catastrophe  that  had  befallen  its  mother ! 

Under  other  'flrcumstances  Caspar  would  have  pitied 
that  calf — for  though  a  hunter,  he  was  not  hard-hearted. 
But  just  then  he  had  something  else  to  do  than  give 
way  to  pity. 

He  had  scarce  aimed  his  second  shot — even  while  his 
finger  was  still  resting  on  the  trigger — when  a  sound 
reached  his  ears  that  made  his  heart  leap.  It  spoiled 
his  aim  in  fact,  or  the  yearling  would  have  had  it  be- 
tween his  ribs  instead  of  in  his  hind-leg.  That  sound 
could  be  nothing  else  than  the  grunt  of  the  old  bull 
himself;  and  so  close  to  Caspar  did  it  appear  that  the 


CASPAR   RETREATS    TO    THE   ROCK.  203 

hunter  suddenly  dropped  the  muzzle  of  his  gun, 
and  looked  around  thinking  the  animal  was  right  by 
him! 

He  did  not  see  the  bull  on  looking  around ;  but  he 
knew  the  latter  could  not  be  many  feet  off,  just  behind 
the  angle  of  the  boulder.  Under  this  impression  Cas- 
par sprang  to  his  feet,  and  ran  with  lightning  speed  to 
ascend  the  rock. 


204         FACE    TO    FACE    WITH   A    FIERCE   BULL. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIL 

FACE    TO    FACE    WITH   A   FIERCE    BULL. 

CASPAR  leaped  on  to  the  lower  one,  and  scrambled 
up  its  sloping  ridge.  His  eyes  were  turned  more  be- 
hind than  before  him,  for  he  expected  every  moment  to 
see  the  bull  at  his  skirts.  To  his  astonishment  no  bull 
had  yet  appeared,  although  as  he  was  running  around 
the  rock  twice  or  thrice  had  he  heard  his  terrific  grunt- 
ing. 

He  now  faced  toward  the  summit,  determined  to 
climb  up  to  the  safest  place.  From  the  top  he  would 
be  able  to  see  all  around,  and  could  there  watch  the 
movements  of  the  bull,  as  he  fancied,  in  perfect  security. 
He  laid  his  hand  on  the  edge  of  the  rock  and  drew  him- 
self over  it.  It  was  as  much  as  he  could  do.  The 
parapet  was  chin  high,  and  it  required  all  his  strength 
to  raise  himself  up. 

His  attention  was  so  occupied  in  the  endeavor,  that 
he  was  fairly  upon  the  top  ere  he  thought  of  looking 
before  him;  and  when  he  did  look,  he  saw,  to  his 
amazement  and  terror,  that  he  was  not  alone.  The  bull 
was  there  too  ! 

Yes !  the  bull  was  there,  and  had  been  there  all  the 
while.  The  top  of  the  boulder  was  a  flat  table,  several 


FACE    TO    FACE    WITH   A    FIEftCE    BULL.         205 

yards  in  length  and  breadth,  and  upon  this  the  old  bull 
had  been  quietly  reclining,  basking  himself  in  the  sun, 
and  watching  his  wives  and  children  as  they  browsed 
on  the  plain  below.  As  he  had  been  lying  down,  and 
close  to  that  edge  of  the  table  which  was  most  distant 
from  Caspar,  the  latter  could  not  have  perceived  him 
while  approaching  the  rock.  He  did  not  even  think  of 
turning  his  eyes  in  that  direction,  as  he  would  as  soon 
have  thought  of  looking  for  the  old  bull  in  the  top  of  one 
of  the  trees.  Caspar  had  quite  forgotten  what  Karl  had 
told  him, — that  the  summits  of  rocks  and  isolated  boul- 
ders are  the  favorite  haunts  of  the  yaks, — else  he  might 
have  kept  out  of  the  scrape  he  had  now  fairly  got  into. 

On  perceiving  his  dilemma,  the  young  hunter  was 
quite  paralysed ;  and  for  some  moments  stood  aghast, 
not  knowing  how  to  act. 

Fortunately  for  him  the  bull  had  been  standing  at 
the  farthest  extremity  of  the  table,  looking  out  over  the 
plain.  The  trouble  he  was  in  about  his  family  occupied 
all  his  attention,  and  he  stood  loudly  grunting  to  them 
as  if  calling  them  back.  He  was  unable  to  comprehend 
what  had  caused  such  a  rout  among  them  ;  although  he 
had  already  experienced  the  dire  effect  of  those  loud 
detonations.  He  was  "  craning  "  forward  over  the 
edge,  as  if  half  determined  to  leap  from  the  summit,  in- 
stead of  turning  to  the  easier  descent  by  which  he  had 
got  up. 

As  Caspar  scrambled  up  to  the  ledge,  the  rattle  of 
his  accoutrements  on  the  rock  reached  the  ears  of  the 
bull ;  and  just  as  the  former  had  got  to  his  feet  the 
latter  wheeled  round,  and  the  two  were  now  face  to 
face! 


206         FACE    TO    FACE    WITH    A    FIERCE    BULL. 

There  was  a  moment's  pause.  Caspar  stood  in  ter- 
ror ;  his  antagonist,  perhaps,  also  surprised  at  the  unex- 
pected rencontre.  It  was  a  very  short  pause,  indeed. 
Almost  in  the  next  instant  the  fierce  yak,  uttering  his 
terrific  cry,  charged  forward. 

There  was  no  chance  to  evade  the  shock  by  spring- 
ing to  one  side  or  the  other.  The  space  was  too  cir- 
cumscribed for  such  a  manreuvre,  and  the  most  adroit 
matador  could  not  have  executed  it  where  Caspar  stood. 
He  was  too  near  the  edge  of  the  rock  to  make  the  ex- 
periment. His  only  hope  lay  in  bounding  back  as  he 
had  come  ;  which  he  did  almost  mechanically  upon  the 
instant. 

The  impetus  of  the  leap,  and  the  slanting  surface  of 
the  lower  boulder,  carried  him  onward  to  the  bottom ; 
and,  unable  any  longer  to  retain  his  feet,  he  fell  for- 
ward upon  his  face.  He  heard  the  rattle  of  the  bull's 
hoofs  upon  the  rock  behind  him ;  and  before  he  could 
recover  his  feet  again  he  felt  the  brute  trampling  over 
him. 

Fortunately  he  was  not  hurt,  and  fortunately  the 
same  impetus  that  had  flung  him  upon  his  face  also 
carried  his  antagonist  far  beyond  him ;  and  before  the 
latter  could  turn  from  his  headlong  charge,  the  young 
hunter  again  stood  erect. 

But  whither  was  he  to  run  ?  The  trees  were  too 
far  off ; — oh  !  he  could  never  reach  them.  The  fierce 
beast  would  be  on  him  ere  he  could  half  cross  the  open 
ground,  and  would  drive  those  terrible  horns  into  his 
back.  Whither  ?— whither  ? 

Confused  and  irresolute,,  he  turned  and  rushed  back 
up  the  rock. 


FACE   TO    FACE   WITH  A   FIERCE    BULL.         207 

This  time  he  scaled  the  slope  more  nimbly ;  more 
lightly  did  he  leap  upon  the  ledge,  but  without  any  feel- 
ing of  hope.  It  was  but  the  quick  rush  of  despair, — 
the  mechanical  effort  of  terror. 

The  manoeuvre  did  not  yield  him  a  minute's  respite.. 
His  fierce  antagonist  saw  it  all,  and  went  charging 
after. 

Lightly  the  huge  brute  bounded  up  the  slope,  and 
then  leaped  upon  the  table,  as  if  he  had  been  a  chamois 
or  a  goat.  No  pause  made  he,  but  rushed  straight  on 
with  foaming  tongue  and  flaming  eye-balls. 

Now,  indeed,  did  Caspar  believe  his  last  moment  had 
come.  He  had  rushed  across  the  table  of  granite,  and 
stood  upon  its  extremest  end.  There  was  no  chance  to 
get  back  to  the  place  where  he  had  ascended.  His 
vengeful  antagonist  was  in  the  track,  and  he  could  not 
pass  him.  He  must  either  spring  down  from  where  he 
stood,  or  be  tossed  from  the  spot  upon  the  horns  of  the 
fierce  bull.  Dizzy  was  the  height, — over  twenty  feet, 
— but  there  was  no  alternative  but  take  the  leap.  He 
launched  himself  into  the  air. 

He  came  down  feet  foremost,  but  the  terrible  shock 
stunned  him,  and  he  fell  upon  his  side.  The  sky  was 
darkened  above  him.  It  was  the  huge  body  of  the  bull 
that  had  bounded  after,  and  the  next  moment  he  heard 
the  heavy  sound  of  the  animal's  hoofs  as  they  came  in 
contact  with  the  plain. 

The  hunter  struggled  to  regain  his  feet.  He  rose 
and  fell  again.  One  of  his  limbs  refused  to  perform  its 
functions.  He  felt  there  was  something  wrong  ;  he 
believed  that  his  leg  was  broken  ! 

Even  this  fearful  thought  did  not  cause  the  brave 


208         FACE   TO    FACE    WITH    A   FIERCE    BULL. 

youth  to  yield.  He  saw  that  the  bull  had  recovered 
himself,  and  was  once  more  approaching  him.  He 
scrambled  towards  the  rock,  dragging  the  useless  limb 
behind  him. 

You  will  suppose  that  there  was  no  longer  a  hope 
for  him,  and  that  the  wild  ox  rushing  upon  him  must 
certainly  gore  him  to  death.  And  so  he  would  have 
done,  had  not  Caspar  been  in  the  hands  of  Providence, 
who  gave  him  a  stout  heart,  and  enabled  him  to  make 
still  another  effort  for  his  safety. 

As  he  turned  toward  the  boulder,  an  object  came  be- 
fore his  eyes  that  filled  him  with  fresh  hopes.  That 
object  was  the  cleft  between  the  rocks.  It  was,  as 
already  described,  about  a  foot  in  width,  and  separated 
the  two  boulders  at  all  points, — except  along  the  top, 
where  they  rested  against  each  other. 

Caspar's  quick  mind  at  once  perceived'  the  advan- 
tage. If  he  could  only  reach  this  crevice,  and  crawl 
into  it  in  time,  he  might  still  be  saved.  It  was  big 
enough  for  his  body ;  it  would  be  too  narrow  to  admit 
that  of  his  huge  antagonist 

On  hands  and  knees  he  glided  along  with  desperate 
speed.  He  reached  the  entrance  of  the  crevice.  He 
clutched  the  angle  of  rock,  and  drew  himself  far  inward. 
He  had  not  a  moment  to  spare.  He  heard  the  horna 
of  the  bull  crash  against  the  cheeks  of  the  chasm  ;  but 
the  charge  was  followed  by  a  grunt  of  disappointment 
uttered  by  the  furious  animal. 

A  cry  of  joy  involuntarily  escaped  from  the  lips  of 
the  hunter, — who  felt  that  he  was  saved  ! 


CASPAR   IN    THE    CLEFT.  209 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

CASPAR   IN    THE    CLEFT. 

CASPAR  breathed  freely.  He  had  need;  for  the 
peril  he  had  passed,  and  the  rushing  backward  and  for- 
ward, and  springing  over  the  rocks,  had  quite  taken 
away  his  breath.  He  could  not  have  lasted  another 
minute. 

The  bull,  thus  balked  of  his  revenge,  seemed  to  be- 
come more  furious  than  ever.  He  rushed  to  and  fro, 
uttering  savage  grunts,  and  at  intervals  dashing  his 
horns  against  the  rocks,  as  if  he  hoped  to  break  them 
to  pieces,  and  open  a  passage  to  his  intended  victim. 
Once  he  charged  with  such  fury  that  his  head  entered 
the  cleft  till  his  steaming  snout  almost  touched  Caspar 
where  he  lay.  Fortunately,  the  thick  hairy  shoulders 
of  the  bull  hindered  him  from  advancing  farther ;  and 
in  drawing  back  his  head,  he  found  that  he  had  wedged 
himself ;  and  it  was  with  some  difficulty  that  he  suc- 
ceeded in  detaching  his  horns  from  the  rock  ! 

Caspar  took  advantage  of  his  struggles  ;  and  seizing 
a  stone  that  lay  near  at  hand,  he  mauled  the  bull  so 
severely  about  the  snout,  that  the  brute  was  fain  to  get 
his  head  clear  again  ;  and  although  he  still  stood  madly 
pawing  by  the  outside  of  the  cleft,  he  took  care  not  to 
repeat  his  rude  assault. 


210  CASPAR   IN   THE    CLEFT.  • 

Caspar  now  seeing  that  he  was  safe  from  any  imme- 
diate danger,  began  to  feel  uneasiness  about  his  broken 
limb.  He  knew  not  how  long  he  might  be  detained 
there — for  it  was  evident  that  the  yak  was  implacable, 
and  would  not  leave  him  while  he  could  keep  his  eyes 
upon  him.  It  is  the  nature  of  these  animals  to  hold 
their  resentment  so  long  as  the  object  of  their  ven- 
geance is  in  sight.  Only  when  that  is  hidden  from 
them,  do  they  seem  to  forget — for  it  is  probable  they 
never  forgive. 

The  bull  showed  no  signs  of  leaving  the  ground.  On 
the  contrary,  he  paced  backward  and  forward,  grunting 
as  fiercely  as  ever,  and  at  intervals  making  a  rush 
towards  the  entrance  as  if  he  still  had  hopes  of  reach- 
ing his  victim. 

Caspar  now  regarded  these  demonstrations  with  in- 
difference. He  was  far  more  concerned  about  his  limb ; 
and  as  soon  as  he  could  turn  himself  into  a  proper  posi- 
tion, he  began  to  examine  it. 

He  felt  the  bone  carefully  from  the  knee  downward. 
He  knew  the  thigh  was  safe  enough.  It  was  his  ankle- 
joint,  he  feared,  was  broken.  The  ankle  was  already 
swollen  and  black — badly  swollen,  but  Caspar  could 
detect  no  evidence  of  a  fracture  of  the  bones. 

"After  all,"  soliloquized  he,  "  it  may  be  only  sprained. 
If  so,  it  will  be  all  right  yet." 

He  continued  to  examine  it,  until  he  at  length  arrived 
at  the  conviction  that  it  was  "  only  a  sprain." 

This  brought  him  into  good  spirits  again,  though  the 
leg  was  very  painful ;  but  Caspar  was  a  boy  who  could 
bear  pain  very  stoically. 

He  now  began  to  ponder  upon  his  situation.     How 


CASPAR   IN   THE    CLEFT.  211 

was  he  to  be  rescued  from  his  fierce  besieger  ?  Would 
Karl  and  Ossaroo  hear  him  if  he  were  to  shout  ?  That 
was  doubtful  enough.  He  could  not  be  much  less  than 
a  mile  from  them ;  and  there  were  woods  and  rough 
ground  between  him  and  them.  They  might  be  chop- 
ping, too,  and  would  not  hear  his  calls.  Still,  they  would 
not  always  be  chopping,  and  he  could  keep  up  a  con- 
stant shouting  till  they  did  hear  him.  He  had  already 
noticed  that  in  the  vallej,  shut  in  on  all  sides  as  it  was 
by  cliffs,  sounds  were  transmitted  to  a  great  distance — 
in  fact,  the  cliffs  seem  to  act  as  conductors  somewhat 
after  the  manner  of  a  whispering-gallery.  No  doubt, 
then,  Karl  and  Ossaroo  would  hear  him — especially  if 
he  gave  one  of  his  shrill  whistles ;  for  Caspar  knew 
how  to  whistle  very  loudly,  and  he  had  often  made  the 
Bavarian  hills  ring  again. 

He  was  about  to  make  the  Himalayas  ring,  and 
had  already  placed  his  fingers  to  his  lips,  when  the 
thought  occurred  to  him  that  it  would  be  wrong  to  do 

60. 

"  No,"  said  he,  after  reflecting  a  moment,  "  I  shall 
not  call  them.  My  whistle  would  bring  Karl,  I  know. 
He  would  come  running  at  the  signal.  I  might  not  be 
able  to  stop  him  till  he  had  got  quite  up  to  the  rocks 
here,  and  then  the  bull !  No — Karl's  life  might  be 
sacrificed  instead  of  mine.  I  shall  not  whistle." 

With  these  reflections,  he  removed  his  fingers  from 
his  lips,  and  remained  silent. 

"  If  I  only  had  my  gun,"  thought  he,  after  a  pause, — 
"  if  I  only  had  my  gun,  I'd  soon  settle  matters  with  you, 
you  ugly  brute!  You  may  thank  your  stars  I  have 

dropped  it." 

10 


212  CASPAR  IN  THE  CLEFT. 

The  gun  had  escaped  from  Caspar's  hands  as  he  fell 
upon  his  face  on  first  rushing  down  from  the  rock.  It 
was  no  doubt  lying  near  the  spot  where  he  had  fallen, 
but  he  was  not  sure  where  it  had  been  flung  to. 

"  If  it  was  not  for  this  ankle,"  he  continued,  "  I'd 
chance  a  rush  for  it  yet.  Oh  !  if  I  could  only  get  the 
gun  here  ;  how  I'd  fix  the  old  grunter  off,  before  he 
could  whisk  that  tail  of  his  twice — that  I  would." 

"  Stay !  "  continued  the  hunter,  after  some  minutes' 
pause,  "  my  foot  seems  to  get  well.  It's  badly  swollen, 
but  the  pain's  not  much.  It's  only  a  sprain  !  Hur- 
rah ! — it's  only  a  sprain  !  By  thunder  !  I'll  try  to  get 
the  gun." 

With  this  resolve,  Caspar  raised  himself  to  a  standing 
attitude,  holding  by  the  rocks  on  both  sides. 

The  lane  between  them  just  gave  him  room  enough 
to  move  his  body  along  ;  and  the  cleft  being  of  a  uniform 
width  from  side  to  side,  he  could  get  out  on  either  side 
he  might  choose. 

But,  strange  to  relate,  the  old  bull,  whenever  he  saw 
the  hunter  move  towards  the  opposite  side,  rushed  round 
to  the  same,  and  stood  prepared  to  receive  him  upon  his 
horns ! 

This  piece  of  cunning,  on  the  part  of  his  antagonist, 
was  quite  unexpected  by  Caspar.  He  had  hoped  he 
would  be  able  to  make  a  sally  from  one  side  of  the  rock 
while  his  adversary  guarded  the  other  ;  but  he  now  saw 
that  the  animal  was  as  cunning  as  himself.  It  was  but 
a  few  yards  round  from  one  side  to  the  other,  and  it 
would  be  easy  for  the  bull  to  overtake  him,  if  he  only 
ventured  six  feet  from  the  entrance. 

He  made  one  attempt  as  a  sort  of  feint  or  trial ;  but 


CASPAR  IN  THE  CLEFT.  213 

was  driven  back  again  into  the  crevice  almost  at  the 
point  of  his  antagonist's  horns. 

The  result  was,  that  the  yak,  now  suspecting  some 
design,  watched  his  victim  more  closely,  never  for  a 
moment  taking  his  eyes  off  him. 

But J  withal  Caspar  had  gained  one  advantage  from 
the  little  sally  he  had  made.  He  had  seen  the  gun 
where  it  lay,  and  had  calculated  the  distance  it  was  off. 
Could  he  only  obtain  thirty  seconds  of  time,  he  felt 
certain  he  might  secure  the  weapon  ;  and  his  thoughts 
were  now  bent  on  some  plan  to  gain  this  time. 

All  at  once  a  plan  was  suggested  to  him,  and  he  re- 
solved to  make  trial  of  it. 

The  yak  habitually  stood  with  his  head  close  up  to 
the  crevice — the  froth  dropping  from  his  mouth,  his 
eyes  rolling  fiercely,  and  his  head  lowered  almost  to 
the  earth. 

Caspar  could  have  thrust  his  head  with  a  spear — if 
he  had  been  armed  with  one — or  he  could  even  have 
belabored  it  with  a  cudgel. 

"  Is  there  no  way,"  thought  he,  "  that  I  can  blind  the, 
brute  ?  Ha !  By  thunder,  I  have  it !  "  exclaimed  he, 
hitting  upon  an  idea  that  seemed  to  promise  the  desired 
result. 

As  quick  as  thought  he  lifted  over  his  head  his  pow- 
der-horn and  belt ;  and,  then  stripping  off  his  jacket, 
took  the  latter  in  both  hands,  held  it  spread  out  as  wide 
as  the  space  would  permit.  He  now  approached  the 
edge  of  the  cleft  in  hopes  of  being  able  to  fling  the 
jacket  over  the  horns  of  the  bull,  and,  by  thus  blinding 
him,  get  time  to  make  a  rush  for  his  gun. 

The  idea  was  a  good  one  ;  but,  alas  !  it  failed  in  the 


214  CASPAR  IN  THE  CLEFT. 

execution.  Caspar's  arms  were  confined  between  the 
boulders,  and  he  was  unable  to  fling  the  jacket  adroitly. 
It  reached  the  frontlet  of  the  bull ;  but  the  latter,  with 
a  disdainful  toss  of  his  head,  flung  it  to  one  side,  and 
stood  fronting  his  adversary,  as  watchful  of  his  move- 
ments as  ever. 

Caspar's  heart  sunk  at  the  failure  of  his  scheme,  and 
he  retreated  despairingly  back  into  the  cleft. 

"  I  shall  have  to  call  Karl  and  Ossaroo  in  the  end," 
thought  he.  "  No  !  not  yet ! — not  yet !  Another  plan ! 
I'll  manage  it  yet,  by  thunder  !  " 

What  was  Caspar's  new  plan  ?  We  shall  soon  see. 
He  was  not  long  in  putting  it  to  the  test.  A  youth 
quick  in  action  was  Caspar. 

He  seized  his  huge  powder-horn,  and  took  out  the 
stopper.  Once  more  he  crept  forward  towards  the  bull, 
and  as  near  the  snout  of  the  latter  as  it  was  safe  for  him 
to  go.  Holding  the  horn  by  its  thick  end,  and  reach- 
ing far  out,  he  poured  upon  the  levellest  and  driest  spot 
a  large  quantity  of  powder  ;  and,  then  drawing  the  horn 
gradually  nearer,  he  laid  a  train  for  several  feet  in- 
ward. 

Little  did  the  grunting  yak  know  the  surprise  that 
awaited  him. 

Caspar  now  took  out  his  flint,  steel,  and  touchpaper, 
and  hi  a  moment  more  struck  a  fire,  and  touched  off 
the  train. 

As  he  had  calculated,  the  exploding  powder  flashed 
outward  and  upward,  taking  the  bull  by  surprise  with  the 
sudden  shock,  at  the  same  time  that  it  enveloped  him 
in  its  thick  sulphury  smoke.  The  animal  was  heard  rout- 
ing and  plunging  about,  not  knowing  which  way  to  run. 


CASPAR  IN  THE  CLEFT.  215 

This  was  the  moment  for  Caspar ;  who,  having  al- 
ready prepared  himself  for  the  rush,  sprang  suddenly 
forth,  and  ran  towards  his  gun. 

With  eagerness  he  grasped  the  weapon ;  and,  for- 
getting all  about  his  sprained  ankle,  ran  back  with  the 
speed  'of  a  deer.  Even  then,  he  was  not  a  moment  too 
soon  in  reaching  his  retreat ;  for  the  bull,  having  re- 
covered from  his  surprise,  saw  and  pursued  him,  and 
once  more  sent  his  horns  crashing  against  the  rocks. 

"  Now,"  said  Caspar,  addressing  his  fierce  besieger, 
and  speaking  with  a  confidence  he  had  not  hitherto  felt, 
"  that  time  you  were  more  scared  than  hurt ;  but  the 
next  time  I  burn  powder,  the  case  will  be  rather  dif- 
ferent, I  fancy.  Stand  where  you  are,  old  boy.  An- 
other minute  allow  me  !  and  I'll  raise  this  siege,  with- 
out giving  you  either  terms  or  quarter." 

As  Caspar  continued  to  talk  in  this  way,  he  busied 
himself  in  loading  his  gun.  He  loaded  both  barrels—- 
though one  would  have  been  sufficient;  for  the  first 
shot  did  the  business  clear  as  a  whistle.  It  tumbled  the 
old  bull  off  his  legs,  and  put  an  end  to  his  grunting  at 
once  and  for  ever  ! 

Caspar  now  came  forth  from  the  cleft ;  and,  placing 
his  fingers  to  his  lips,  caused  the  valley  to  ring  with  his 
loud  whistle.  A  similar  whistle  came  pealing  back 
through  the  woods  ;  and,  in  fifteen  minutes'  time,  Karl 
and  Ossaroo  were  seen  running  forward  to  the  spot ; 
and  soon  after  had  heard  the  particulars  of  Caspar's 
adventure,  and  were  congratulating  him  on  his  escape. 

The  yaks  were  skinned  and  quartered,  and  then  car- 
ried home  to  the  hut.  The  young  bull,  that  had  been 
wounded,  also  turned  up  close  at  hand ;  and  was 


216  CASPAR    IN   THE    CLEFT. 

finished  by  the  spear  of  Ossaroo.  Of  course,  he  too 
was  skinned  and  quartered,  and  carried  home ;  but 
all  this  labor  was  performed  by  Karl  and  Ossaroo; 
for  Caspar's  ankle  had  got  so  much  worse,  that  he  had 
himself  to  be  carried  to  the  hut  on  the  backs  of  Ossaroo 
and  his  brother. 


THE    SEROW.  217 


CHAPTER   XXXIX. 

THE    SEROW. 

KARL  and  Ossaroo  had  their  adventure,  though  it 
was  not  of  so  dangerous  a  character  as  that  of  Caspar. 
They  were  spectators  rather  than  actors  in  it.  Fritz 
was  the  real  actor,  and  Fritz  had  come  off  only  second 
best,  as  a  huge  gash  in  his  side  testified. 

They  had  chosen  a  pine,  and  were  busy  hacking 
away  at  it,  when  a  confused  noise — a  mixture  of  yelp- 
ing and  barking — fell  upon  their  ears,  and  caused  them 
to  hold  their  hands,  and  listen.  It  was  a  thin  piece  of 
woods,  where  they  were — composed  principally  of 
straggling  pine-trees  without  underwood,  and  they 
could  see  to  a  distance  of  several  hundred  yards  around 
them. 

As  they  stood  looking  out,  a  large  animal,  evidently 
in  flight,  came  dashing  past  the  spot.  He  did  not  ap- 
pear to  be  a  fast  runner,  and  they  had  a  good  view  of 
him.  He  was  nearly  as  large  as  a  jackass,  and  had 
something  of  the  appearance  of  one,  but  a  pair  of  stout 
horns,  twelve  inches  in  length,  and  very  sharp-pointed, 
showed  that  he  was  a  cloven-hoofed  animal.  His  hair 
was  coarse  and  rough  ;  dark  brown  on  the  upper  parta 
of  his  body,  reddish  on  the  sides,  and  whitish  under 


218  THE     SEROW. 

neath.  Along  the  back  of  the  neck  he  was  maned  like 
a  jackass,  and  the  neck  itself  was  thick  with  rather  a 
large  head  to  it.  The  horns  curved  backwards  so  as 
to  lie  close  along  the  neck ;  the  legs  of  the  animal  were 
thick  and  stout,  and  he  appeared  to  be  altogether  a 
stupid  creature,  and  ran  with  a  clumsy  ungainly  gait. 

Neither  Karl  nor  Ossaroo  had  ever  seen  such  an 
animal  before,  but  they  guessed  it  to  be  the  "  thar,"  or 
"serow," — one  of  the  tribe  of  antelopes,  known  as  the 
goat-like  antelopes, — of  which  there  are  several  species 
in  the  East  Indies. 

They  guessed  aright.  It  was  the  serow,  (  Oapricor- 
nis  bubalina.) 

But  the  creature  was  not  alone.  Although  we  have 
said  he  was  not  running  very  swiftly,  he  was  going  as 
fast  as  his  thick  legs  would  carry  him.  And  he  had 
good  reason  too,  for,  close  upon  his  heels,  came  a  pack 
of  what  Karl  supposed  to  be  red  wolves,  but  which 
Ossaroo  recognized  as  the  wild  dogs  of  India.  There 
were  about  a  dozen  of  these,  each  nearly  as  large  as  a 
wolf,  with  long  necks  and  bodies,  somewhat  long  muz- 
zles, and  high,  erect,  round-tipped  ears.  Their  general 
color  was  red,  turning  to  reddish  white  underneath. 
The  tops  of  their  long  bushy  tails  were  black,  and  there 
was  a  brown  patch  between  the  orbits  of  their  eyes, 
which  added  to  the  fierce  wolf-like  expression  that  char- 
acterized them.  It  was  from  them  that  the  howling 
and  yelping  had  proceeded.  They  were  in  full  cry 
after  the  serow. 

Fritz,  on  hearing  the  music,  would  have  bounded 
forth  and  joined  them ;  but  to  keep  him  out  of  harm's 
way,  Karl  had  tied  him  to  a  tree  before  commencing 


THE    SEROW.  219 

work,  and  Fritz,  nolens  volens,  was  compelled  to  keep 
his  place. 

The  chase  swept  by,  and  both  dogs  and  antelope  were 
soon  lost  to  the  sight,  though  their  howling  could  still  be 
heard  through  the  trees. 

After  a  time  it  grew  louder,  and  the  wood-cutters, 
perceiving  that  the  chase  was  again  coming  in  their 
direction,  stood  watching  and  listening.  A  second  time 
the  serow  appeared  crossing  the  open  tract,  and  the 
dogs,  as  before,  close  at  his  heels. 

Once  more  all  disappeared,  and  then,  after  a  short 
interval,  "  hark  back "  was  the  cry ;  and,  to  their  sur- 
prise, Karl  and  the  shikarree  again  saw  the  wild  doga 
pressing  the  serow  through  the  woods. 

Now  it  appeared  to  both  that  the  dogs  might  easily 
have  overtaken  the  antelope  at  any  moment ;  for  they 
were  close  up  to  his  heels,  and  a  single  spring,  which 
any  of  them  might  have  given,  would  have  launched 
them  upon  its  flanks.  Indeed,  it  appeared  as  if  they 
were  running  it  only  for  their  amusement,  and  at  any 
moment  could  have  overtaken  it ! 

This  observation  of  our  wood-cutters  was  partially 
true.  The  wild  dogs  could  at  any  moment  have  over- 
taken the  antelope,  for  they  had  done  so  already ;  hav- 
ing turned  it  more  than  once.  But  for  all  that,  they 
were  not  running  it  out  of  mere  sport.  They  were  thus 
chasing  the  game  back  and  forward  in  order  to  guide  it 
to  their  breeding -place,  and  save  themselves  the  trouble 
of  carrying  its  carcass  thither  !  This  was  in  reality 
what  the  wild  dogs  were  about,  and  this  accounted  for 
their  odd  behavior.  Ossaroo,  who  knew  the  wild  doga 
well,  assured  the  Sahib  Karl,  that  such  is  their  practice, 
10* 


220  THE    SEROW. 

that — whenever  they  have  young  ones — they  hunt  the 
larger  animals  from  point  to  point  until  they  get  them 
close  to  their  common  burrowing  place  ;  that  then  they 
all  spring  upon  the  victim,  and  worry  it  to  death,  leav- 
ing the  puppies  to  approach  the  carcass  and  mangle  it 
at  their  pleasure  ! 

The  plant-hunter  had  already  heard  of  this  singular 
practice  having  been  observed  in  the  "  wild  honden,"  or 
hunting-dogs  of  the  Cape,  and  was  therefore  less  sur- 
prised at  Ossaroo's  account. 

Of  course  it  was  not  then  that  Karl  and  Ossaroo 
conversed  upon  these  topics.  They  were  too  busy  in 
watching  the  chase,  which  once  more  passed  within 
twenty  yards  of  the  spot  where  they  were  standing. 

The  serow  seemed  now  to  be  quite  done  up,  and  it 
appeared  as  if  his  pursuers  might  at  any  moment  have 
pulled  him  down.  But  this  they  evidently  did  not  wish 
to  do.  They  wanted  to  drive  him  a  little  farther. 

The  creature,  however,  was  not  going  to  accommo- 
date them.  He  'had  run  enough.  A  very  large  tree 
stood  in  his  way.  Its  trunk  was  many  feet  in  diameter, 
and  great  broad  buttresses  stood  out  from  its  flanks, 
enclosing  angular  spaces  between  them,  any  of  which 
would  have  made  a  stall  for  a  horse.  It  was  just  the 
sort  of  place  which  the  serow  was  looking  out  for ;  and 
making  a  sharp  rush  for  the  tree,  he  entered  one  of 
these  divisions,  and  wheeling  around,  buttocks  to  the 
stump,  stood  firmly  to  bay. 

This  sudden  manosuvre  evidently  disconcerted  his 
fierce  pursuers.  There  were  many  of  them  that  knew 
the  serow  well,  and  trembled  at  the  sight  of  his  horna 
when  brought  too  close  to  them.  They  knew  his  tactics 


THE    SEROW.  221 

too,  and  were  well  aware  that  once  in  a  position,  like 
that  he  had  now  taken  up,  he  became  a  dangerous  cus- 
tomer to  deal  with. 

Knowing  this,  most  of  the  old  dogs  held  back.  But 
there  were  several  young  ones  in  the  pack,  raeh,  hot- 
blooded  fellows,  who,  vain  of  their  prowess,  were 
ashamed  to  hang  their  tails  at  this  crisis  ;  and  these, 
without  more  ado,  rushed  in  upon  the  antelope.  Then 
ensued  a  scene  that  caused  Ossaroo  to  clap  his  hands 
and  shake  his  sides  with  laughter.  A  desperate  strug- 
gle was  carried  on.  Right  and  left  pitched  the  wild 
dogs,  some  yelping,  some  skulking  back,  crippled  and 
limping  ;  while  one  or  two  soon  lay  stretched  out  dead ; 
transfixed  as  they  had  been  by  the  pointed  horns  of  the 
antelope.  Ossaroo*  enjoyed  this  scene,  for  the  shikarrea 
had  a  great  dislike  to  these  wild  dogs,  as  they  had  often 
interfered  with  his  stalking. 

How  the  battle  would  have  ended,  or  whether  the 
bold  buck  would  have  beaten  off  his  numerous  enemies,, 
will  never  be  known ;  for  while  the  contest  was  raging^ 
the  great  boar-hound,  Fritz,  contrived  somehow  or  other 
to  slip  his  fastening,  and  the  next  moment  he  was  seeik 
-rushing  like  a  streak  of  fire  towards  the  melee.  The 
wild  dogs  were  as  much  terrified  by  his  sudden  appear- 
ance in  their  midst  as  the  quarry  itself  could  have  been, 
a.nd,  without  staying  to  examine  the  interloper,  one  and 
all  of  them  took  to  their  heels,  and  soon  disappeared 
behind  the  trees. 

Fritz  had  never  seen  a  serow  before,  but  taking  it  for 
granted  it  was  fair  game,  he  sprang  at  the  creature  on 
sight.  Better  for  Fritz  had  it  been  a  Saxon  boar,  for 
it  cost  him  several  sharp  rips,  and  a  long  struggle  be- 


222  THE    SEROW. 

fore  he  became  master  of  the  field ;  and  it  is  doubtful 
whether  he  would  not  have  suffered  still  worse,  had  not 
a  pea  of  lead  from  the  rifle  of  his  master  aided  in  bring- 
ing the  strife  to  an  end. 

The  game,  but  for  its  hide,  was  hardly  worth  taking 
home ;  as  the  flesh  of  the  serow  is  very  coarse,  and 
poor  eating.  For  all  that,  the  animal  is  eagerly  hunted 
by  the  natives  of  the  Himalayas  ;  partly  because  it  is 
not  difficult  to  come  up  with,  and  partly  that  these  poor 
people  are  not  very  epicurean  in  their  appetites. 


OSSAROO    CHASED    BY    WILD    DOGS.  223 


CHAPTER  XL. 

OSSAROO    CHASED    BY   WILD    DOGS. 

IP  Ossaroo  hated  any  living  creature  more  than 
another,  the  wild  dogs,  as  already  hinted  at,  were  his 
particular  aversion.  They  had  often  spoiled  a  stalk 
upon  him,  when  he  was  in  the  act  of  bringing  down  an 
axis  or  an  antelope  with  his  arrows,  and  they  them- 
selves were  not  worth  bending  a  bow  upon.  Their 
flesh  was  not  fit  to  be  eaten,  and  their  skins  were  quite 
unsalable.  In  fact,  Ossaroo  regarded  them  as  no 
better  than  filthy  vermin,  to  be  destroyed  only  for  the 
sake  of  exterminating  them. 

Hence  it  was  that  the  shikarree  was  so  delighted, 
when  he  saw  the  old  serow  dealing  death  among  his 
canine  antagonists. 

But  it  was  written  in  the  book  of  fate,  that  Ossaroo 
should  not  sleep  that  night  until  he  had  done  penance 
for  this  exultation. 

Another  adventure  was  in  store  for  him,  which  we 
shall  now  relate. 

From  the  place  where  the  yaks  had  been  killed  to 
the  hut  was  a  very  long  distance — full  three  quarters 
of  a  mile ;  and,  of  course,  transporting  the  skins  and 
meat  thither  required  Karl  and  Ossaroo  to  make  many 
journeys  backward  and  forward.  Caspar  was  laid  up 


224  OSSAROO    CHASED    BY    WILD    DOGS. 

with  his  sprained  ankle,  and  could  give  them  no  assist- 
ance. As  we  have  said,  they  had  to  carry  him  home 
as  well  as  the  meat. 

The  work  occupied  them  all  the  rest  of  the  day,  and, 
when  twilight  arrived,  there  was  still  one  joint  to  be 
got  home.  For  this  joint  Ossaroo  started  alone,  leaving 
the  others  at  the  hut  to  cook  the  supper. 

On  cutting  up  the  meat,  they  had  taken  the  precaution 
to  hang  the  pieces  upon  high  branches,  out  of  the  reach 
of  beasts  of  prey.  Experience  had  taught  them,  that 
there  were  many  of  these  in  the  place,  ravenous  enough 
to  devour  a  whole  carcass  in  a  few  minutes.  What 
kind  of  wild  beast  had  carried  off  the  flesh  of  the  cow- 
yak,  they  knew  not.  Karl  and  Caspar  believed  they 
were  wolves,  for  the  wolf,  in  some  form  or  other,  is 
found  in  every  quarter  of  the  globe ;  and  in  India 
there  are  two  or  three  distinct  species — as  the  "  land- 
gah,"  or  Nepaul  wolf,  ( Canis  pallipes,)  and  the  "  be- 
riah,"  another  Indian  wolf,  of  a  yellow  color,  slenderly 
made,  and  about  the  size  of  a  greyhound,  with  long, 
erect  ears,  like  the  jackal.  The  jackal,  too,  which  is 
only  a  smaller  wolf,  and  the  common  or  brindled  hyena, 
inhabit  these  countries ;  so  that  it  was  difficult  to  say 
which  of  all  these  ravenous  creatures  had  committed 
the  depredation.  Ossaroo's  opinion  was,  that  it  was 
done  by  dogs,  not  wolves ;  and,  perhaps,  by  the  very 
pack  that  had  that  day  been  seen  in  pursuit  of  the  ante- 
lope. It  made  no  great  difference,  as  far  as  that  went ; 
for  these  same  wild  dogs  are  in  reality  more  wolf  than 
dog,  and  in  habits  quite  as  ferocious  and  destructive  as 
the  wolves  themselves.  But  to  return  to  Ossaroo  and 
his  adventure. 


OSSAROO    CHASED    BY   WILD    DOGS.  225 

When  the  shikarree  arrived  on  the  ground  where 
the  meat  had  been  left,  he  was  not  much  surprised  to 
see  a  number  of  wild  dogs  skulking  about.  Half  a 
dozen  of  them  were  standing  under  the  joint,  where  it 
hung  from  the  branch ;  some  of  them  in  the  act  of 
springing  upward,  and  all  of  them  regarding  the  tempt- 
ing morsel  with  fierce,  hungry  looks.  The  offal  and 
"  giblets  "  they  had  already  disposed  of,  so  that  not  the 
smallest  fragment  could  be  seen  lying  about.  What 
Ossaroo  regretted  most  was,  that  he  had  brought  with 
him  neither  bow  nor  arrow  nor  spear,  nor,  in  short,  any 
thing  in  the  shape  of  a  weapon.  Even  his  long  knife 
he  had  left  behind,  in  order  that  he  might  carry  the 
large  joint  with  greater  ease. 

On  seeing  the  hated  dogs,  however,  he  could  not  resist 
the  temptation  of  having  a  shy  at  them ;  and,  gathering 
up  a  handful  of  bulky  stones,  he  rushed  into  their  midst, 
and  pelted  at  them  right  and  left. 

The  dogs,  startled  by  this  sudden  onslaught,  took  to 
their  heels,  but  Ossaroo  could  not  help  observing  that 
they  did  not  appear  to  be  so  badly  frightened ;  and, 
some  of  them  that  left  the  ground  sulky  and  growling, 
stopped  at  no  great  distance  from  the  spot,  and  appeared 
half  inclined  to  come  back  again  ! 

It  was  the  first  time  in  his  life  that  Ossaroo  felt  some- 
thing like  fear  of  the  wild  dogs.  He  had  been  in  the 
habit  of  chasing  them  on  sight,  and  they  had  always 
scampered  off  at  the  sound  of  his  voice.  These,  how- 
ever, seemed  to  be  larger  and  fiercer  than  any  he  had 
before  encountered,  and  it  was  evident  there  was  fight 
in  them.  It  was  nearly  dark,  and  at  night  such  animals 
are  much  bolder  than  during  the  daylight.  Night  is, 


226  OSSAROO    CHASED    BY   WILD    DOGS. 

in  fact,  their  true  time  for  rapine  and  desperate  deeds. 
Ossaroo  reflected,  moreover,  that  these  dogs  had,  in  all 
probability,  never  before  encountered  man,  and  were, 
therefore,  less  inclined  to  fear  or  flee  from  him. 

It  was  mot  without  some  misgiving,  therefore,  that 
he  found  himself  in  their  presence,  thus  unarmed  and 
alone. 

When  his  armful  of  stones  was  exhausted,  some  of 
the  dogs  still  remained  within  sight,  looking  in  the  gray 
twilight  much  larger  than  they  actually  were. 

Ossaroo  reflected  for  a  moment  whether  he  would 
gather  some  more  rocks,  and  give  them  a  fresh  pelting. 
On  second  thoughts,  he  concluded  it  would  be  more 
prudent  to  let  them  alone.  They  were  already  almost 
at  bay,  and  any  farther  demonstration  on  his  part  might 
provoke  them  to  turn  upon  him  in  earnest.  He  deter- 
mined, therefore,  to  leave  them  as  they  stood,  and  hurry 
off  with  his  load. 

Without  more  ado,  he  took  down  the  quarter  of  yak- 
beef,  and,  placing  it  upon  his  shoulders,  turned  home- 
ward toward  the  hut. 

He  had  not  gone  very  far  when  he  began  to  suspect 
that  the  dogs  were  after  him.  In  fact,  he  more  than 
suspected  it,  for  the  pattering  of  feet  upon  the  dead 
leaves,  and  an  occfjsional  low  growl  that  reached  his 
ears,  convinced  him  they  were  after  him.  The  heavy 
burden  upon  his  shoulders,  pressing  his  head  forward 
and  downward,  prevented  fern  from  seeing  either  to 
one  side  or  the  other,  and  to  look  behind,  it  would  be 
necessary  for  him  to  turn  quite  round. 

But  the  pattering  of  the  feet  sounded  nearer,  and  the 
short  half-bark,  half-growl,  became  more  frequent,  until 


OSSAROO    CHASED    BY   WILD    DOGS.  227 

Ossaroo  found  himself  at  length  constrained  to  turn, 
from  sheer  apprehension  of  being  attacked  in  the  rear. 

The  sight  that  met  his  eyes  was  enough  to  have  ter- 
rified the  stoutest  heart.  Instead  of  half  a  dozen  of  the 
wild  dogs  which  he  expected  to  see  following  him,  there 
were  far  above  a  score  of  them,  and  they  appeared  to 
be  of  every  age,  sex,  and  size.  In  fact,  all  the  dogs  of 
the  valley  were  trooping  at  his  heels,  as  if  they  had 
been  all  summoned  to  join  in  the  attack. 

But  the  stout  shikarree  was  not  yet  dismayed."  He 
had  been  accustomed  to  hold  the  wild  dogs  in  too  great 
contempt  to  be  so  easily  frightened,  even  by  such  num- 
bers of  them,  and  he  resolved  to  make  another  attempt 
to  drive  them  off. 

Leaning  the  beef,  therefore,  against  a  tree,  he  stooped 
down  and  groped  the  ground,  until  he  had  again  armed 
himself  with  pebbles  as  big  as  paving-stones ;  and  rush- 
ing some  paces  backward,  he  flung  them  with  all  his 
might  in  the  teeth  of  his  tormentors.  Several  of  the 
pebbles  happened  to  hit  in  the  right  place,  and  more 
than  one  of  the  dogs  ran  howling  away ;  but  the  fiercer 
and  older  ones  scarce  yielded  their  ground,  and  only 
answered  the  assault  by  a  fierce  grinning  and  jabbering, 
while  their  white  teeth  could  be  distinguished  under  the 
moonlight  set  in  angry  menace. 

Upon  the  whole,  Ossaroo  gained  but  little  by  this 
new  demonstration;  and  as  he  reshouldered  his  load, 
btj  saw  the  dogs  gathering  thick  as  ever  behind  him. 

Perhaps  he  would  not  have  taken  up  his  burden 
again,  but  an  idea  had  suddenly  entered  his  mind ;  he 
had  conceived  a  plan  of  getting  rid  of  his  ugly  fol- 
bwers. 


228  OSSAROO    CHASED    BY   WILD    DOGS. 

He  knew  that  he  was  near  the  edge  of  the  lake.  He 
remembered  that  between  him  and  the  hut  there  lay  a 
long  reach  of  water,  where  the  lake  ran  up  into  a  sort 
of  branch  or  bay.  He  knew  that  this  bay,  even  at  its 
neck,  was  quite  shallow  and  fordable.  He  had,  in  fact, 
waded  across  it  that  very  day  in  order  to  shorten  the 
path.  He  was  just  then  within  a  hundred  yards  of  the 
fording-place ;  and  if  the  dogs  contemplated  attacking 
him,  he  would  be  able  to  reach  the  water  before  they 
were  likely  to  begin  their  attack.  He  would  take  to 
the  water,  and  that  would  throw  them  off.  With  all 
their  fierceness,  they  surely  would  not  follow  him  into 
it? 

Acting  under  this  impression,  he  reshouldered  his 
load  and  hurried  forward.  He  did  not  waste  time  to 
look  about.  He  need  not  have  looked  around  to  con- 
vince himself  that  he  was  still  followed,  for  the  thick 
pattering  of  the  feet,  the  snarling,  and  chattering,  were 
behind  him  as  before.  Every  moment  it  sounded  nearer 
and  nearer,  and  at  length  when  Ossaroo  arrived  by  the 
water's  edge  he  fancied  he  could  hear  the  breathing  of 
the  brutes  close  to  his  very  ankles. 

He  made  no  halt,  but  dashed  at  once  into  the  lake, 
and  plunged  wildly  across.  The  noise  made  by  him- 
self in  wading  knee-deep  prevented  him  from  hearing 
other  sounds ;  and  he  did  not  look  to  see  whether  he 
was  followed  until  he  had  climbed  out  on  the  opposite 
shore  of  the  bay.  Then  he  paused  and  turned  around. 
To  his  chagrin  the  whole  pack  were  in  the  water,  cross- 
ing like  hounds  after  a  stag  !  Already  they  were  half 
over.  They  had  no  doubt  hesitated  a  moment  before 
taking  to  the  water,  and  this  gave  Ossaroo  some  advan- 


OSSAROO    CHASED    BY    WILD    DOGS.  229 

tage,  else  they  would  have  landed  as  soon  as  he.    As  it 
was,  they  would  soon  take  up  the  distance. 

Ossaroo  hesitated  a  moment  as  to  whether  he  should 
abandon  his  burden,  and  retreat  towards  the  hut ;  but 
the  thought  of  yielding  to  a  pack  of  wild  dogs  was  too 
much  for  his  hunter  pride;  and,  wheeling  suddenly 
into  the  path,  he  hurried  onward  with  his  load.  It 
was  now  but  a  short  distance  to  the  hut.  He  had  still 
hopes  that  he  might  reach  it  before  his  pursuers  would 
make  up  their  minds  to  assail  him. 

On  he  hastened,  making  his  limbs  do  their  best- 
Once  more  came  the  pattering  feet;  once  more  the 
growling,  and  yelping,  and  jibbering  of  the  wild  dogs 
from  behind ;  once  more  their  hot  breathing  seemed  to 
be  felt  close  to  his  heels ;  and  then,  all  at  once,  the 
quarter  of  yak -beef  appeared  to  increase  in  weight, 
and  grow  heavier  and  heavier,  until  it  came  suddenly 
to  the  ground,  pulling  Ossaroo  upon  his  back.  Several 
of  the  ravenous  brutes  had  seized  upon  and  dragged 
both  burden  and  bearer  to  the  earth ! 

But  Ossaroo  soon  recovered  his  feet ;  and,  seizing  a 
large  pole,  that  fortunately  lay  near,  commenced  laying 
around  him  right  and  left,  at  the  same  time  making  the 
woods  echo  with  his  yells. 

A  terrible  melee  ensued,  the  dogs  showing  fight,  seiz- 
ing the  pole  in  their  teeth,  and  springing  forward  upon 
the  hunter  whenever  an  opportunity  offered.  The  lat- 
ter, however,  handled  his  improvised  weapon  so  well, 
that  for  a  long  time  he  kept  the  whole  pack  at  bay. 

He  was  growing  very  tired,  and  no  doubt  in  a  few 
minutes  more  would  have  been  obliged  to  succumb, 
when  he,  as  well  as  the  joint  of  yak-beef,  would  soon 


230  OSSAROO    CHASED    BY   WILD    DOGS. 

have  disappeared  from  the  world ;  but,  before  this  ter 
rible  event  could  happen,  the  large  spotted  body  of 
Fritz  was  seen  rushing  into  the  midst  of  the  crowd. 
Fritz  was  followed  by  his  master,  Karl,  armed  with  the 
double-barrelled  gun,  which  soon  opened  fire,  scatter- 
ing the  wild  pack  like  a  flock  of  sheep,  and  laying  out 
more  than  one  of  their  number  at  the  feet  of  Ossaroo. 

The  scene  was  soon  over  after  the  arrival  of  Karl 
and  Fritz,  and  Ossaroo  was  delivered  from  his  peril ; 
but  if  ever  a  follower  of  Brahma  swore  vengeance 
against  any  living  creature,  Ossaroo  did  that  very 
thing  against  the  wild  dogs 


OSSAROO'S    REVENGE.  231 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

OSSAROO'S  REVENGE. 

So  indignant  was  Ossaroo  with  these  animals  that  he 
vowed  he  would  not  lie  down  till  he  had  taken  wholesale 
revenge,  and  Karl  and  Caspar  were  curious  to  know  how 
he  intended  to  take  it.  They  knew  the  dogs  would  be 
like  enough  to  come  round  the  hut  during  the  night. 
Indeed,  they  heard  them  yelping  not  far  off  at  the  mo- 
ment; but  for  all  that  how  were  they  to  be  killed,  for 
that  was  the  sort  of  revenge  the  shikarree  meditated 
taking  ?  It  would  never  do  to  expend  powder  and  shot 
on  such  worthless  animals ;  besides  firing  at  them  in  the 
darkness  would  be  a  very  uncertain  mode  of  killing  even 
a  single  one  of  them. 

Did  Ossaroo  intend  to  sit  up  all  night  and  shoot  at 
them  with  his  arrows  ?  The  chances  were  he  should 
not  hit  one ;  and  from  the  way  Ossaroo  talked  he  had 
made  up  his  mind  to  a  whole  hetacomb !  Certainly  he 
could  not  do  it  with  his  bow  and  arrows.  How  then 
w&s  he  going  to  take  the  wholesale  vengeance  he  had 
vowed  ? 

They  knew  of  no  sort  of  trap  that  could  be  arranged, 
whereby  more  than  a  single  dog  might  be  captured ;  and 
it  would  take  some  time  with  such  weapons  as  they  had 


232  OSSAROO'S    REVENGE. 

to  construct  the  rudest  kind  of  trap.  True,  there  waa 
the  "  dead-fall "  that  might  be  rigged  up  in  a  few  minutes 
from  logs  that  lay  near ;  but  that  could  only  fall  once, 
crushing  one  victim,  unless  Ossaroo  sat  up  to  rearrange 
it.  Besides,  the  cunning  dogs  might  not  go  under  it 
again,  after  one  of  their  number  had  been  immolated 
before  their  eyes. 

Karl  and  Caspar  could  not  conceive  what  plan  Ossa- 
roo intended  to  pursue  ;  but  from  experience  they  knew 
he  had  some  one ;  and  therefore  they  asked  him  no  ques- 
tions, but  watched  his  proceedings  in  silence. 

The  first  thing  that  Ossaroo  did  was  to  collect  from 
the  antelope  all  the  tendons  or  sinews  that  he  could  lay 
his  fingers  on.  Some,  also,  he  obtained  from  the  bark- 
ing deer,  which  Caspar  had  killed  in  the  morning ;  and 
others  he  took  from  the  limbs  of  the  yaks  that  had  been 
brought  home  in  their  skins.  In  a  short  while  he  had  a 
goodly  bunch  of  these  tough  strings;  which  he  first 
dried  before  the  fire,  and  then  twisted  after  his  own 
fashion  into  slender  cords.  In  all  he  made  more  than  a 
score  of  them — Karl  and  Caspar  of  course  acting  under 
his  directions,  and  lending  him  all  necessary  help  during 
the  operation.  These  cords,  neatly  twined  and  dried 
by  the  heat,  now  resembled  strings  of  coarse  catgut; 
and  it  only  remained  for  Ossaroo  to  knot  and  loop  them, 
and  form  them  into  snares. 

Of  course  Karl  and  Caspar  now  knew  what  Ossaroo 
purposed — to  snare  the  dogs  of  course.  Yet  how  the 
snares  were  to  be  set,  or  how  a  wild  dog  could  be  cap- 
tured with  a  piece  of  catgut,  was  more  than  they  could 
comprehend.  Surely,  thought  they,  the  dogs  will  gnaw 
such  a  string  to  pieces  in  half  a  minute,  and  set  them- 


OSSAROO'S    REVENGE.  233 

selves  free  again?  So  it  would  have  appeared,  and  so 
they  would  doubtless  have  done  had  the  snares  been  set 
for  them  in  the  ordinary  manner.  But  Ossaroo  had  a 
plan  of  his  own  for  setting  snares,  and  it  was  by  this 
plan  he  intended  to  succeed  in  capturing  the  dogs. 

The  next  thing  Ossaroo  did  was  to  provide  himself 
with  an  equal  number  of  stoutish  thongs,  which  his 
knife  and  the  numerous  raw  hides  that  lay  about  soon 
enabled  him  to  do.  *  When  these  were  all  prepared, 
about  twenty  small  skewer-like  rods  were  obtained  from 
the  bushes  and  sharpened  at  one  end.  Then  a  like 
number  of  "  griskins  "  were  cut  from  the  antelope  veni- 
son— it  being  esteemed  of  least  value  ;•  and  thus  pro- 
vided, Ossaroo  started  forth  to  set  his  snares. 

Karl  and  Caspar  of  course  accompanied  him,  the  lat- 
ter limping  on  one  leg,  and  carrying  a  large  pine-torch 
— for  as  the  moon  had  gone  down,  and  it  was  now  quite 
dark,  they  required  a  light  to  do  the  work.  Karl  was 
loaded  with  the  thongs,  skewers,  and  griskins,  while 
Ossaroo  himself  was  in  charge  of  the  snares. 

Now  it  so  happened  that  not  far  from  the  hut,  and  all 
around  it,  there  grew  numbers  of  low  trees,  with  long 
branches  that  extended  horizontally  outward.  They 
were  a  species  of  the  pyrus,  or  mountain-ash,  sometimes 
known  as  "  witch  hazel."  The  branches,  though  long, 
were  thin,  tough,  and  elastic,  and  not  much  burdened 
with  either  branchlets  or  leaves.  They  were  the  very 
things  for  Ossaroo's  purpose,  and  he  had  observed  this 
before  it  had  become  quite  dark,  and  while  he  was  med- 
itating upon  some  plan  to  get  square  with  the  wild  dogs. 
Upon  these  branches  he  was  now  to  operate. 

Reaching  up  he  caught  one  of  them  in  his  hand, 


234  OSSAROO'S   REVENGE. 

drew  it  downwards,  and  then  suddenly  let  it  go  again, 
in  order  to  try  the  "  spring  "  of  it  It  appeared  to  sat- 
isfy him  ;  and,  once  more  laying  hold  of  it,  he  stripped 
off  its  leaves  and  twigs,  and  then  tied  the  raw-hide 
thong  to  its  upper  end.  To  the  other  end  of  the  string 
was  next  adjusted  the  skewer-like  rod,  and  this  last  was 
fastened  in  the  ground  in  such  a  way  as  to  hold  the 
branch  bent  downward  with  considerable  force,  while  a 
very  slight  jerk  upon  the  p.in  itself  would  set  the  former 
free.  The  shikarree  now  arranged  his  piece  of  venison 
for  a  bait,  fixing  it  so  that  it  could  not  possibly  be 
dragged  away  or  even  slightly  tugged  without  setting 
free  the  rod-trigger,  and  consequently  the  bent  branch. 
Last  of  all,  was  arranged  the  snare,  and  this  was  placed 
in  such  a  position  with  regard  to  the  bait,  that  any  ani- 
mal attempting  to  seize  the  latter  must  necessarily  have 
the  whole  or  part  of  its  body  encircled  by  the  ready 
running  noose. 

When  all  these  matters  were  arranged  to  his  satis- 
faction, Ossaroo  proceeded  to  another  tree,  and  went 
through  a  similar  process  of  snare-setting ;  and  then  to 
another,  and  so  on  till  the  whole  of  his  snares  were  dis- 
posed of,  when  the  party  returned  to  the  hut. 

They  sat  for  half-an-hour  longer,  listening  in  hopea 
that  before  retiring  they  might  enjoy  the  sport  of  seeing 
a  wild  dog  snared.  Whether  it  was  that  the  torchlight 
had  frightened  them  off  for  a  while,  or  from  some  other 
cause,  neither  yelp,  nor  growl,  nor  noise  of  any  kind, 
gratified  the  ears  of  the  listeners ;  so  they  gave  it  up, 
and,  shutting  the  rude  door  of  the  hut,  one  and  all  of 
them  went  soundly  to  sleep. 

The  fact  is,  the  day's  work  had  been  one  of  the  hard- 


OSSAROO'S    REVENGE.  235 

est  of  their  lives.  All  were  as  tired  as  hod-carriers ; 
and  they  were  glad  to  stretch  themselves  once  more  on 
the  fragrant  leaves  of  the  rhododendrons. 

Had  they  not  slept  so  soundly,  they  might  have  heard 
a  considerable  confusion  of  noises  throughout  the  night. 
What  with  barking  and  growling,  and  yelping  and  howl- 
ing, and  snapping  and  snarling,  and  the  creaking  of 
branches  and  the  rattling  of  twigs,,  there  was  a  constant 
medley,  that  ought  to  have  awakened  the  three  sleepers 
long  before  daylight.  It  did  awake  them,  however,  at 
last ;  and  as  the  light  streamed  through  the  apertures 
of  the  hut,  all  three  sprang  to  their  feet  and  rushed  out 
into  the  open  air.  It  was  still  only  gray  light ;  but  as 
soon  as  they  had  rubbed  their  eyes  clear  of  sleep,  a 
sight  was  before  them  that  caused  Karl  and  Caspar  to 
break  out  into  loud  laughter,  while  Ossaroo  jumped 
about  vociferating  his  delight  in  wild  yells  of  triumph. 
Nearly  every  snare  they  had  set  had  caught  its  victim 
— nearly  every  tree  around  the  hut  carried  a  dog  swing- 
ing to  its  branches — some  by  the  neck  hanged  quite 
dead — some  round  the  body  alive  and  struggling — while 
there  were  others  suspended  by  a  single  leg,  their  snouts 
almost  touching  the  earth,  and  their  tongues  hanging 
from  their  frothy  jaws ! 

It  was  the  strangest  of  all  scenes  ;  and  Ossaroo  had, 
as  he  had  vowed,  a  full  measure  of  vengeance — which 
he  now  carried  to  its  completion,  by  seizing  his  long 
spear,  and  putting  an  end  to  the  struggles  of  the  hideous 
brutes. 


11 


236  THE    CREVASSE    BRIDGED. 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

THE    CREVASSE    BRIDGED. 

YOUNG  reader,  I  shall  not  weary  you  by  relating 
every  little  circumstance  which  occurred  during  the 
time  that  the  bridge  was  being  constructed.  Suffice  it 
to  say,  that  all  hands  were  busy, — both  night  and  day, 
I  might  almost  say, — until  it  was  finished.  Although 
they  were  in  no  want  of  any  thing,  and  might  have 
lived  their  lives  out  in  this  place,  yet  the  thought  that 
they  were  imprisoned — cut  off  from  all  fellowship  with 
mankind — weighed  heavily  upon  their  spirits,  and  not 
an  hour  was  wasted  in  idle  amusement.  The  whole  of 
•their  time  was  given  up  to  that  which  engrossed  all 
their  thoughts — the  construction  of  the  bridge — that 
link,  which  was  wanting  to  unite  them  once  more  with 
the  world,  and  free  them  from  their  lonely  captivity. 

They  were  a  whole  month  in  getting  their  bridge 
ready ;  which,  after  all,  consisted  only  of  a  single  pole 
of  about  six  inches  in  diameter,  and  better  than  a 
hundred  feet  in  length.  It  was  nothing  more  than  two 
slender  pine-trees  spliced  together  by  means  of  raw-hide 
thongs.  But  then  these  trees  had  to  be  shaved  down 
to  a  nearly  uniform  thickness,  and  this  had  to  be  done 
with  the  small  hatchet  and  knives ;  and  the  wood  had 


THE    CREVASSE    BRIDGED.  237     • 

to  be  charred  by  fij*  e  until  it  was  quite  dry  and  light ; 
and  the  splicing  had  to  be  made  with  the  greatest  neat- 
ness and  strength,  so  that  there  would  be  no  danger  of 
its  yielding  under  .  a  weight ;  and,  moreover,  a  great 
many  ropes  had  to  be  twisted,  and  many  animals  had 
to  be  captured  and  killed,  to  obtain  the  materials  for 
these  ropes  ;  and  other  apparatus  had  to  be  made — so 
that  the  getting  that  bridge  ready  was  a  good  month's 
work  for  all  hands. 

At  the  end  of  a  month  it  was  ready  ;  and  now  behold 
it  in  the  gorge  of  the  glacier,  and  lying  along  the  snowy 
surface  of  the  ice,  one  end  of  it  within  a  few  feet  of  the 
crevasse !  Thither  they  have  transported  it,  and  are 
just  preparing  to  put  it  in  its  place. 

The  first  thought  that  will  strike  you,  will  be  how 
that  piece  of  timber  is  to  be  placed  across  that  yawning 
chasm.  It  is  quite  long  enough  to  reach  across — for 
they  calculated  that  before  making  it — and  there  are 
several  feet  to  lap  over  at  each  end  ;  but  how  on  earth 
is  it  to  be  extended  across  ?  If  any  one  of  the  party 
was  upon  the  opposite  side,  and  had  a  rope  attached  to 
the  end  of  the  pole,  then  it  would  be  easy  enough  to 
manage  it.  But  as  there  could  be  nothing  of  this  kind, 
how  did  they  intend  acting  ?  It  is  evident  they  could 
not  push  it  across  before  them  ;  the  end  of  such  a  long 
pole  would  naturally  sink  below  the  horizontal  line  be- 
fore reaching  the  opposite  side  ;  and  how  was  it  to  be 
raised  up  ?  In  fact,  as  soon  as  they  should  push  it  a 
little  more  than  half  its  length  outward,  its  own  weight 
would  overbalance  their  united  strength,  and  it  would 
be  likely  to  escape  from  their  hands  and  drop  to  the 
bottom  of  the  cleft — whence,  of  course,  they  could  not 


238  THE    CREVASSE    BRIDGED. 

recover  it.  This  would  be  a  sad  result,  after  the  trou- 
ble they  had  had  in  constructing  that  well-balanced 
piece  of  timber. 

Ah  !  they  were  not  such  simpletons  as  to  have  worked 
a  whole  month  without  first  having  settled  all  these 
matters.  Karl  was  too  good  an  engineer  to  have  gone 
on  thus  far,  without  a  proper  design  o£  how  his  bridge 
was  to  be  thrown  across.  If  you  look  at  the  objects 
lying  araund,  you  will  perceive  the  evidence  of  that 
design.  You  will  understand  how  the  difficulty  is  to  be 
got  over. 

You  will  see  there  a  ladder  nearly  fifty  feet  in  length 
— several  days  were  expended  in  the  making  of  this  ; 
you  will  see  a  strong  pulley,  with  block-wheels  and 
shears — this  cost  no  little  time  in  the  construction ;  and 
you  will  see  several  coils  of  stout  raw-hide  rope.  No 
wonder  a  month  was  expended  in  the  preparation  of  the 
bridge ! 

And  now  to  throw  it  across  the  chasm !  For  that 
purpose  they  were  upon  the  ground,  and  all  their  ap- 
paratus with  them.  Without  farther  delay  the  work 
commenced. 

The  ladder  was  placed  against  the  cliff,  with  its  lower 
end  resting  upon  the  glacier,  and  as  close  to  the  edge 
of  the  crevasse  as  was  reckoned  safe. 

We  have  said  that  the  ladder  was  fifty  feet  in  length  » 
and  consequently  it  reached  to  a  point  on  the  face  of 
the  cliff  nearly  fifty  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  glacier. 
At  this  height  there  chanced  to  be  a  slight  flaw  in  the 
rock — a  sort  of  seam  in  the  granite — where  a  hole  could 
easily  be  pierced  with  an  iron  instrument. 

To  make  this  hole  a  foot  or  more  in  depth  was  the 


TIIE    CREVASSE   BRIDGED.  239 

work  of  an^hour.    It  was  done  by  means  of  the  hatchet, 
and  the  iron  point  of  Ossaroo's  boar-spear. 

A  strong  wooden   stake  was  next  inserted  into  this 
hole,  fitting  it  as  nearly  as  possible ;  but,  in  order  to^ 
make  it  perfectly  tight  and  firm,  hard  wo~oden  wedges 
were  hammered  in  all  around  it. 

When  driven  home,  the  end  of  this  stake  protruded 
a  foot  or  more  from  the  wall  of  the  cliff ;  and,  by  means 
of  notches  cut  in  the  wood,  and  raw-hide  thongs,  the 
pulley  was  securely  rigged  on  to  it. 

The  pulley  had  been  made  with  two  wheels ;  each 
of  them  with  axles  strong  enough  to  bear  the  weight 
of  several  hundreds.  Both  had  been  well  tested  before 
this  time. 

Another  stake  was  now  inserted  into  the  cliff,  within 
a  few  feet  of  the  surface  of  the  glacier.  This  was 
simply  to  be  used  as  a  belaying-pin,  to  which  the  ends  of 
the  pulley-ropes  could  be  fastened  at  a  moment's  notice. 

The  next  operation  was  the  reeving  of  the  ropes 
over  the  wheels  of  the  pulley.  This  was  the  work  of 
but  a  few  minutes,  as  the  ropes  had  already  been  care- 
fully twisted,  and  had  been  made  of  just  the  thickness 
to  fit  the  grooves  of  the  wheels. 

The  ropes — or  cables,  as  the  boys  called  them — were 
now  attached  at  one  end  to  the  great  pole  which  was  to 
form  the  bridge.  One  to  its  end,  and  the  other  to  its 
middle,  exactly  around  the  place  where  it  was  joined. 

The  greatest  pains  was  taken  in  adjusting  these  knots, 
particularly  the  one  in  the  middle ;  for  the  duty  which 
this  cable  was  called  upon  to  perform  was,  indeed,  of  a 
mpst  important  character. 

It  was  to  act  as  the  main  pier  or  support  of  the 


240  THE    CREVASSE    BRIDGED. 

bridge — not  only  to  prevent  the  long  pole  $*om  "  s wag- 
ging "  downward,  but  in  fact  to  keep  it  from  breaking 
altogether.  But  for  Karl's  ingenuity  in  devising  this 
support,  a  slender  pole,  such  as  that  they  had  prepared, 
would  never  have  sustained  the  weight  of  one  of  them  ; 
and  had  they  made  it  of  heavier  scantling,  they  could 
not  have  thrown  it  across  the  chasm.  The  centre  sup- 
port, therefore,  was  the  chief  object  of  their  solicitude ; 
and  this  cable,  as  well  as  the  pulley-wheel  over  which 
it  passed,  were  made  much  stronger  than  the  other. 
The  second  rope  was  intended  to  hold  up  the  end  of  the 
pole,  so  that,  on  approaching  the  opposite  side  of  the 
chasm,  it  could  be  kept  high  enough  to  be  raised  above 
the  ice. 

The  ropes  being  now  completely  rigged,  each  man 
took  his  place.  Ossaroo,  who  was  the  strongest  of  the 
party,  was  to  push  the  bridge  forward  ;  while  Karl  and 
Caspar  attended  to  the  pulley  and  the  ropes.  Rollers 
had  already  been  laid  under  the  poles ;  for,  although 
but  six  inches  in  diameter,  its  great  length  rendered  it 
no  easy  matter  to  slide  it  forward,  even  with  the  advan- 
tage of  the  slippery  surface  of  frozen  snow. 

The  word  was  given  by  Karl,  and  the  pole  com- 
menced moving.  Soon  its  end  passed  over  the  brink 
of  the  chasm,  close  by  the  edge  of  the  black  rock. 
Slowly  and  gradually  it  moved  forward,  and  not  one 
^f  them  uttered  a  word.  They  were  all  too  much  ab- 
sorbed in  attending  to  their  various  duties  to  speak  a 
sentence. 

Slowly  and  gradually  it  moved  onward,  creeping 
along  the  cliff,  like  some  huge  monster,  and  protruding 
its  muzzled  snout  far  over  the  deep  chasm. 


THE  CREVASSE  BRIDGED.  241 

At  lengtfc  the  nearest  roller  approached  the  brink, 
and  it  became  necessary  to  stop  the  motion  till  these 
could  be  rearranged. 

This  was  easily  done.  A  few  turns  of  the  cables 
around  the  belaying-pin,  and  all  stood  fast.  The 
pulley-wheels  worked  admirably,  and  the  cables  glided 
smoothly  over  the  grooved  blocks. 

The  rollers  were  soon  readjusted — the  cables  again 
freed  from  the  pin,  and  the  bridge  moved  on. 

Slowly  and  gradually — slowly  but  smoothly  and 
surely,  it  moved,  until  its  farther  end  rested  upon  the 
opposite  cheek  of  the  crevasse,  lapping  the  hard  ice  by 
several  feet.  Then  the  cables  were  held  taut,  and 
securely  fastened  to  the  belaying-pin.  The  nearer  end 
of  the  pole  was  tied  with  other  ropes — so  that  it  could 
not  possibly  shift  from  its  place — and  the  yawning  abyss 
was  now  spanned  by  a  bridge  ! 

Not  till  then  did  the  builders  rest  to  look  upon  their 
work;  and,  as  they  stood  gazing  upon  the  singular 
structure  that  was  to  restore  them  to  liberty  and  home, 
they  could  not  restrain  themselves,  but  gave  vent  to 
their  triumphant  feelings  in  a  loud  huzzah ! 


24:2  THE   PASSAGE    OF   THE    CREVASSE. 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

THE    PASSAGE    OP   THE    CREVASSE. 

I  KNOW  you  are  smiling  at  this  very  poor  substitute 
for  a  bridge,  and  wondering  how  they  who  built  it  were 
going  to  cross  upon  it.  Climbing  a  Maypole  would  be 
nothing  to  such  a  feat.  It  may  seem  easy  enough  to 
cling  to  a  pole  six  inches  in  diameter,  and  even  to 
"  swarm  "  along  it  for  some  yards,  but  when  you  come 
to  talk  of  a  hundred  feet  of  such  progression,  and  that 
over  a  yawning  chasm,  the  very  sight  of  which  is 
enough  to  make  the  head  giddy  and  the  heart  faint, 
then  the  thing  becomes  a  feat  indeed.  Had  there  been 
no  other  mode  of  getting  over,  like  enough  our  heroes 
would  have  endeavored  to  cross  in  that  way. 

Ossaroo,  who  had  "  swarmed  "  up  the  stem  of  many 
a  bamboo  and  tall  palm-tree,  would  have  thought  noth- 
ing of  it ;  but  for  Karl  and  Caspar,  who  were  not  such 
climbers,  it  would  have  been  rather  perilous.  They 
had,  therefore,  designed  a  safer  plan. 

Each  was  provided  with  a  sort  of  yoke,  formed  out 
of  a  tough  sapling  that  had  been  sweated  in  the  fire 
and  then  bent  into  a  triangular  shape.  It  was  a  rude 
isosceles  triangle,  tied  tightly  at  the  apex  with  raw-hide 
thongs ;  and  thereto  was  attached  a  piece  of  well-twisted 


THE    PASSAGE    OF   THE    CREVASSE.  243 

rope,  the  object  of  which  was  to  form  a  knot  or  loop 
over  the  pole,  to  act  as  a  runner.  The  feet  of  the 
passenger  were  to  rest  on  the  base  of  the  yoke,  which 
would  serve  as  a  stirrup  to  support  the  body,  while  one 
arm  would  hug  the  pole,  leaving  the  other  free  to  push 
forward  the  runner  by  short  gradations.  In  this  way 
each  was  to  work  himself  across.  Their  guns,  and  the 
few  other  things,  were  to  be  tightly  strapped  to  their 
backs  They  had  only  those  that  were  worth  bringing 
along  As  for  Fritz,  he  was  not  to  be  left  behind,  al- 
though the  transporting  him  across  had  offered  for  some 
time  a  serious  difficulty.  Ossaroo,  however,  had  re- 
moved the  difficulty  by  proposing  to  tie  the  dog  up  in 
a  skin  and  strap  him  on  his  (Ossaroo's)  own  back,  and 
thus  carry  him  over.  It  would  be  nothing  to  Ossaroo. 

In  less  than  half-an-hour  after  the  bridge  was  in  its 
place,  the  three  were  ready  to  cross.  There  they  stood, 
each  holding  the  odd-looking  stirrup  in  his  hand,  with 
his  impedimenta  strapped  securely  on  his  back.  The 
head  of  Fritz,  just  showing  above  the  shoulder  of  the 
shikarree,  while  his  body  was  shrouded  in  a  piece  of 
shaggy  yak-skin,  presented  a  very  ludicrous  spectacle, 
and  his  countenance  wore  quite  a  serio-comical  expres- 
sion. He  seemed  quite  puzzled  as  to  what  was  going 
to  be  done  with  him. 

Ossaroo  proposed  crossing  first;  and  then  Caspar, 
brave  as  a  lion,  said  that  he  was  the  lightest,  and  ought 
to  go  first.  Karl  would  not  listen  to  either  of  them. 
Karl  alleged  that,  as  he  was  the  builder  of  the  bridge, 
by  all  usage  it  was  his  place  to  make  trial  of  it.  Karl 
being  the  Sahib  of  the  party,  and,  of  course,  the  man  of 
most  authority,  carried  his  point. 
11* 


244  THE   PASSAGE    OF   THE    CREVASSE. 

Stepping  cautiously  to  the  point  where  the  polo 
rested  on  the  ice,  he  looped  the  hide-rope  over  it  and 
then  suffered  the  yoke  to  drop  down.  He  then  grasped 
the  pole  tightly  in  his  arms,  and  placed  his  feet  firmly 
in  the  stirrup.  For  a  moment  or  two,  he  pressed  heav- 
ily upon  the  latter,  so  as  to  test  its  strength,  while  he 
held  on  by  the  beam  above  ;  and  then,  disengaging  his 
left  arm,  he  pushed  the  runner  forward  upon  the  pole, 
to  the  distance  of  a  foot  or  more.  This,  of  course,  car- 
ried the  stirrup  along  with  it,  as  well  as  his  feet ;  and 
then,  throwing  forward  the  upper  part  of  his  body,  he 
swung  himself  out  above  the  abyss. 

It  was  a  fearful  sight,  even  to  those  who  watched  him, 
and  would  have  been  too  perilous  a  feat  for  idle  play ; 
but  the  very  nature  of  their  circumstances  had  hardened 
them  to  undergo  the  danger. 

After  a  time,  Karl  was  far  out  from  the  ice,  and 
seemed  to  hang  upon  a  thread  between  heaven  and 
earth! 

Had  the  pole  slipped  at  either  end,  it  would  have 
precipitated  the  adventurous  Karl  into  the  chasm  ;  but 
they  had  taken  every  precaution  against  this.  At  the 
nearer  end,  they  had  rendered  it  secure  by  rolling  im- 
mense rocks  upon  it ;  while,  on  the  opposite  side,  it  was 
held  in  its  place  by  the  cable,  that  had  been  drawn  as 
tight  as  the  pulley  could  make  it. 

Notwithstanding  the  mainstay  in  the  middle,  it  sank 
considerably  under  the  weight  of  Karl's  body ;  and  it 
was  plain  that,  but  for  this  contrivance,  they  could 
never  have  crossed.  When  half-way  to  the  point  where 
this  stay  was  attached,  the  pole  bent  far  below  the  level 
of  the  glacier,  and  Karl  now  found  it  up-hill  work  to 


THE   PASSAGE    OF   THE    CREVASSE.  245 

force  the  runner  along.     He  succeeded,  however,  in 
reaching  the  stay-rope  in  safety. 

Now  he  had  arrived  at  one  of  the  "  knottiest "  points 
of  the  whole  performance.  Of  course,  the  runner  could 
go  no  farther,  as  it  was  intercepted  by  the  stay.  It 
was  necessary,  therefore,  to  detach  it  altogether  from 
the  pole,  and  then  readjust  it  on  the  other  side  of  the 
cable. 

"Karl  had  not  come  thus  far  to  be  stopped  by  a  diffi- 
culty of  so  trifling  a  kind.  He  had  already  considered 
how  he  should  act  at  this  crisis,  and  he  delayed  only  a 
moment  to  rest  himself.  Aided  by  the  mainstay  itself, 
which  served  him  for  a  hand-rope,  he  mounted  cross- 
legs  upon  the  timber,  and  then,  without  much  trouble, 
shifted  his  runner  to  the  opposite  side.  This  done,  he 
once  more  "  sprang  to  his  stirrup,"  and  continued  on- 
ward. 

As  he  approached  the  opposite  edge  of  the  chasm,  he 
again  encountered  the  up-hill  difficulty ;  but  a  little 
patience  and  some  extra  exertion  brought  him  nearer 
and  nearer,  and  still  nearer,  until  at  last  his  feet  kicked 
against  the  icy  wall. 

With  a  slight  effort,  he  drew  himself  upon  the  gla- 
cier ;  and,  stepping  a  pace  from  the  brink,  he  pulled  off 
his  cap,  and  waved  it  in  the  air.  A  huzza  from  the 
opposite  side  answered  his  own  shout  of  triumph.  But 
louder  still  was  the  cheer,  and  far  more  heartfelt  and 
joyous,  when,  half-an-hour  afterwards,  all  three  stood 
side  by  side,  and,  safe  over,  looked  back  upon  the  yawn- 
ing gulf  they  had  crossed ! 

Only  they  who  have  escaped  from  some  terrible  doom 
—a  dungeon,  or  death  itself — can  understand  the  full, 


246  THE   PASSAGE    OF   THE    CREVASSE. 

deep  emotions  of  joy,  that  at  that  moment  thrilled  within 
the  hearts  of  Karl,  Caspar,  and  Ossaroo. 

***** 

Alas !  alas !  it  was  a  short-lived  joy, — a  moment 
of  happiness  to  be  succeeded  by  the  most  poignant 
misery, — a  gleam  of  light  followed  by  the  darkest  of 
clouds ! 

Ten  minutes  had  scarce  elapsed.  They  had  freed 
Fritz  from  his  yak-skin  envelope,  and  had  started  down 
the  glacier,  impatient  to  get  out  of  that  gloomy  defile. 
Scarce  five  hundred  steps  had  they  taken,  when  a  sight 
came  under  their  eyes  that  caused  them  suddenly  to 
halt,  and  turn  to  each  other  with  blanched  cheeks  and' 
looks  of  dread  import.  Not  one  of  them  spoke  a  word, 
but  all  stood  pointing  significantly  down  the  ravine. 
Words  were  not  needed.  The  thing  spoke  for  itself. 

Another  crevasse,  far  wider  than  the  one  they  had 
just  crossed,  yawned  before  them !  It  stretched  from 
side  to  side  of  the  icy  mass  ;  like  the  former,  impinging 
on  either  cliff.  It  was  full  two  hundred  feet  in  width, 
and  how  deep.  Ugh  !  they  dared  hardly  look  into  its 
awful  chasm!  It  was  clearly  impassable.  Even  the 
dog  appeared  to  be  aware  of  this ;  for  he  had  stopped 
upon  its  edge,  and  stood  in  an  attitude  of  fear,  now  and 
then  uttering  a  melancholy  howl ! 

Yes,  it  was  impassable.  A  glance  was  sufficient  to 
tell  that ;  but  they  were  not  satisfied  with  a  glance. 
They  stood  upon  its  brink,  and  regarded  it  for  a 
long  while,  and  with  many  a  wistful  gaze ;  then,  with 
slow  steps  and  heavy  hearts,  they  turned  mechanically 
nway. 

I  shall  not  repeat  their  mournful  conversation.    I 


I 

THE   PASSAGE    OP    THE    CREVASSE.  247 

shall  not  detail  the  incidents  of  their  backward  journey 
to  the  valley.  I  need  not  describe  the  recrossing  of  the 
crevasse — the  different  feelings  with  which  they  now 
accomplished  this  perilous  feat.  All  these  may  be  easily 
imagined. 

It  was  near  night  when,  wearied  in  body  and  limb- 
downcast  in  mien  and  sick  at  heart — they  reached  the 
hut,  and  flung  themselves  despairingly  upon  the  floor. 

"  My  God  !  my  God  !  "  exclaimed  Karl,  in  the 
agony  of  his  soul,  "  how  long  is  this  hovel  to  be  our 
home?" 


248  NEW  HOPES. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

NEW   HOPES. 

THAT  night  was  passed  without  much  sleep.  Painf  al 
reflections  filled  the  minds  of  all  and  kept  them  awake— 
the  thoughts  that  follow  disappointed  hopes.  When 
they  did  sleep  it  was  more  painful  than  waking.  Their 
dreams  were  fearful.  They  dreamt  of  yawning  gulfs 
and  steep  precipices — of  being  suspended  in  the  air, 
and  every  moment  about  to  fall  into  vast  depths  where 
they  would  be  crushed  to  atoms.  Their  dreams,  that 
were  only  distorted  pictures  of  the  day's  experience, 
had  all  the  vividness  of  reality,  and  far  more  vivid  in 
their  horror.  Often  when  one  or  other  of  them  was 
awakened  by  the  approaching  climax  of  the  dream,  he 
endeavored  to  keep  awake  rather  than  go  through  even 
in  a  vision  such  horrible  scenes. 

Even  the  dog  Fritz  was  not  free  from  similar  suffer- 
ings. His  mournful  whimpering  told  that  his  sleep  like 
theirs  was  troubled  and  uneasy. 

A  bright  sunshiny  morning  had  its  beneficial  effect 
upon  all  of  them.  It  aided  the  reaction — consequent 
on  a  night  of  such  a  dismal  character — and  as  they  ate 
their  breakfasts  of  broiled  meat  they  were  again  almost 
cheerful.  The  buoyancy  of  Caspar's  spirits  had  well- 


NEW    HOPES.  249 

nigh  returned,  and  his  fine  appetite  showed  itself  in  full 
vigor.  Indeed  all  of  them  ate  heartily,  for  on  the  pre- 
ceding day  they  had  scarce  allowed  themselves  time  to 
taste  food. 

"  If  we  must  remain  here  always,"  said  Caspar,  "  I 
see  no  reason  why  we  need  starve  ourselves !  There's 
plenty  to  eat,  and  a  variety  of  it,  I  can  say.  I  don't 
see  why  we  shouldn't  have  some  fish.  I  am  sure  I  have 
seen  trout  leap  in  the  lake.  Let  us  try  a  fly  to-day. 
What  say  you,  Karl?" 

Caspar  said  this  with  the  intention  of  cheering  his 
brother. 

"  I  see  no  harm  in  it,"  answered  the  quiet  botanist. 
"I  think  there  are  fish  in  the  lake.  I  have  heard 
there  is  a  very  eatable  kind  of  fish  in  all  the  rivers  of 
the  Himalayas,  known  as  the  *  Himalayan  trout ' — 
though  it  is  misnamed,  for  it  is  not  a  trout  but  a  species 
of  carp.  It  may  be  found  here,  I  dare  say ;  although 
it  is  difficult  to  imagine  how  fish  could  get  into  tl^is 
sequestered  lake." 

"  Well,"  rejoined  Caspar,  "  we  must  think  of  some 
plan  to  get  them  out  of  it.  We  have  neither  nets,  rods, 
hooks,  nor  lines.  What's  to  be  done  ?  Can  you  think 
of  any  way  of  taking  the  fish,  Ossaroo  ?  " 

"  Ah !  Sahib,"  replied  the  shikarree,  "  give  me  bam- 
boo, me  soon  make  net  to  takee  fish — no  bamboo — no 
net — no  matter  for  net — Ossaroq  poison  the  water — get 
all  da  fish." 

"  What !  poison  the  water  ?  how  would  you  do  that  ? 
Where  is  the  poison  ?  " 

"  Me  soon  find  poison — bikh  poison  do." 

« *  Bikh '  poison— what  is  that  ?  " 


250  NEW   HOPES. 

"  Come,  Sahib  !  me  show  you  bikh  plant — plenty 
grow  here." 

Both  Karl  and  Caspar  rose  and  followed  the  shik- 
arree. 

They  had  not  gone  many  paces  when  their  guide 
stooped  and  pointed  to  a  plant  that  grew  in  plenty  about 
the  place.  It  was  an  herbaceous  plant,  having  a  stem 
nearly  six  feet  high,  and  rather  broad  digitate  leaves, 
with  a  loose  spike  of  showy  yellow  flowers  at  the  top. 

Caspar  rather  hastily  took  hold  of  one  of  the  plants ; 
and,  plucking  off  the  spike,  held  it  to  his  nose,  to  see 
whether  the  flowers  had  any  perfume.  But  Caspar 
dropped  the  nosegay  as  hastily  as  he  had  seized  it,  and 
with  an  exclamation  of  terror  turned  towards  his 
brother,  into  whose  arms  he  staggered  half  swooning ! 
Fortunately  he  had  taken  but  a  very  slight  "  sniff"  of 
that  dangerous  perfume,  else  he  might  have  been  laid 
up  for  days.  As  it  was  he  felt  giddy  for  hours  after. 

Now  this  singular  plant  the  botanist  Karl  recognized 
at  a  glance.  It  was  a  species  of  aconite,  or  wolf  s-bane, 
and  very  similar  to  the  kindred  species,  Aconitum 
napettus,  or  "  monk's  hood,"  of  Europe,  whose  roots  fur- 
nish the  most  potent  of  poisons. 

The  whole  plant — leaves,  flowers,  and  stem — is  of  a 
poisonous  nature,  but  the  roots,  which  resemble  small 
"turnips,  contain  the  essence  of  the  poison.  There  are 
many  species  of  the  plant  found  in  different  parts  of  the 
world,  and  nearly  a  dozen  kinds  in  the  Himalaya  Moun- 
tains  themselves ;  but  the  one  pointed  out  by  Ossaroo 
was  the  Aconitum  ferox  of  botanists,  the  species  from 
which  the  celebrated  "  bikh  "  poison  of  the  Hindoos  is 
obtained. 


NEW   HOPES.  251 

Ossaroo  then  proposed  to  poison  the  fish  by  throwing 
a  sufficient  quantity  of  the  roots  and  stems  of  the  plant 
into  the  lake. 

This  proposal,  however,  was  rejected  by  Karl,  who 
very  properly  observed,  that  although  by  that  means 
they  might  obtain  a  plentiful  supply  of  fish,  they  would 
destroy  more  than  they  could  use  at  the  time,  and  per- 
haps leave  none  for  the  future.  Karl  had  already  be- 
gun to  talk  about  a  "  future  "  to  be  spent  on  the  shores 
of  this  lovely  lake.  The  belief  that  they  might  never 
go  out  of  the  valley  was  already  taking  shape  in  the 
minds  of  all  three,  though  they  did  not  care  to  give  ex- 
pression to  such  sad  imaginings. 

Karl  tried  to  be  cheerful,  as  he  saw  that  Caspar  was 

gay- 

"  Come,"  said  he,  "  let  us  not  mind  the  fish  to-day.  I 
own  that  fish  is  usually  the  first  course,  but  go  along 
with  me.  Let  us  see  what  kind  of  vegetables  our  gar- 
den has  got.  I  am  sure  we  may  live  better  if  we  only 
try.  For  my  part  I  am  getting  tired  of  broiled  meat, 
and  neither  bread  nor  vegetables  to  eat  along  with  it. 
Here  I  dare  say  we  shall  find  both ;  for  whether  it  be 
due  to  the  birds,  or  its  peculiar  climate— or  a  little  to 
both  most  likely — our  valley  has  a  flora  such  as  you 
can  only  meet  with  in  a  botanic  garden.  Come  then ! 
let  us  see  what  we  can  find  for  the  pot." 

So  saying  Karl  led  the  way,  followed  by  Caspar,  Os- 
saroo,  and  the  faithful  Fritz. 

"  Look  up  there !  "  said  the  botanist,  pointing  to  a  tall 
pine  that  grew  near.  "  See  those  large  cones.  Inside 
them  we  shall  obtain  seeds,  as  large  as  pistachio-nuts, 
and  very  good  to  eat.  By  roasting  them,  we  can  make 
an  excellent  substitute  for  bread." 


252  NEW   HOPES. 

* 

"  Ha,  indeed  ! "  exclaimed  Caspar,  "  that  is  a  pine- 
tree.  What  large  cones!  They  are  as  big  as  arti- 
chokes. What  sort  of  pine  is  it,  brother?" 

"It  is  one  of  the  kind  known  as  the  'edible  pines,' 
because  their  seeds  are  fit  for  food.  It  is  the  species 
called  by  botanists  Pinus  Gerardiana,  or  the  '  neosa ' 
pine.  There  are  pines  whose  seeds  are  eatable  in  'other 
parts  of  the  world,  as  well  as  in  the  Himalaya  Moun- 
tains,— for  instance,  the  Pinus  cenibra  of  Europe,  the 
*  ghik '  of  Japan,  the  '  Lambert '  pine  of  California,  and 
several  species  in  New  Mexico,  known  among  the  peo- 
ple as  '  pinon '  trees.  So  you  perceive  that  besides 
their  valuable  timber — to  say  nothing  of  their  pitch, 
turpentine,  and  resin — the  family  of  the  pines  also  fur- 
nishes food  to  the  human  race.  We  shall  get  some 
bread  from  those  cones  whenever  we  desire  it !  " 

So  saying,  Karl  continued  on  in  the  direction  of  the 
lake. 

"  There  again  ! "  said  he,  pointing  to  a  gigantic 
herbaceous  plant,  "  rhubarb,  you  see  ! " 

It  was,  in  fact,  the  true  rhubarb,  which  grows  wild 
among  the  Himalaya  Mountains,  and  whose  great  broad 
red-edged  leaves,  contrasting  with  its  tall  pyramid  of 
yellow  bracts,  render  it  one  of  the  most  striking  and 
beautiful  of  herbaceous  plants.  Its  large  acid  stems — 
which  are  hollow  and  full  of  pure  water — are  eaten  by 
the  natives  of  the  Himalayas,  both  raw  and  boiled,  and 
its  leaves  when  dried  are  smoked  as  tobacco.  But 
there  was  a  smaller  species  that  grew  near,  which  Ossa- 
roo  said  produced  much  better  tobacco ;  and  Ossaroo 
was  good  authority,  since  he  had  already  dried  some  of 
the  leaves,  and  had  been  smoking  them  ever  since  theif 


NEW   HOPES.  253 

arrival  in  the  valley.  In  fact,  Ossaroo  was  quite  out 
of  betel-nut,  and  suffered  so  much  from  the  want  of  his 
favorite  stimulant,  that  he  was  glad  to  get  any  thing  to 
smoke ;  and  the  "  chula,"  or  wild  rhubarb-leaves,  an- 
swered his  purpose  well.  Ossaroo's  pipe  was  an  orig- 
inal one  certainly ;  and  he  could  construct  one  in  a  few 
minutes.  His  plan  was  to  thrust  a  piece  of  stick  into 
the  ground,  passing  it  underneath  the  surface — hori- 
zontally for  a  few  inches,  and  then  out  again — so  as  to 
form  a  double  orifice  to  the  hole.  At  one  end  of  this 
channel  he  would  insert  a  small  joint  of  reed  for  his 
mouth-piece,  while  the  other  was  filled  with  the  rhubarb 
tobacco,  which  was  then  set  on  fire.  It  was  literally 
turning  the  earth  into  a  tobacco-pipe  ! 

This  method  of  smoking  is  by  no  means  uncommon 
among  the  half-civilized  inhabitants  of  India  as  well 
as  Africa,  and  Ossaroo  preferred  a  pipe  of  this  kind  to 
any  other. 

Karl  continued  onward,  pointing  out  to  his  compan- 
ions several  species  of  edible  roots,  fruits,  and  vegetables 
which  the  valley  contained.  There  were  wild  leeks 
among  the  number.  These  would  assist  them  in  mak- 
ing soup.  There  were  fruits  too, — several  species  of 
currants,  and  cherries,  and  strawberries,  and  raspberries, 
— kinds  that  had  long  been  introduced  to  European 
gardens,  and  that  to  Karl  and  Caspar  looked  like  old 
acquaintances. 

"And  there!"  continued  Karl,  "see  the  very 'water 
produces  food  for  us.  Look  at  the  lotus,  (Nelunibium 
speciosum.)  Those  large  pink  and  white  flowers  are 
the  flowers  of  the  famed  lotus.  Its  stalks  may  be  eaten, 
or,  if  you  will,  their  hollow  tubes  will  serve  us  as  cups 


254  NEW   HOPES. 

to  drink  out  of.  There,  too,  is  the  horned  water  root 
( Trapa  Ucornis) ,  also  excellent  eating.  Oh !  we  should 
be  thankful.  We  are  well  provided  with  food." 

Yet  the  heart  of  Karl  was  sore  while  thus  endeavor- 
ing to  talk  cheerfully. 


NEW    SURVEY    OF    THE    CLIFF.  253 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

NEW    SURVEY    OF   THE    CLIFF. 

YES,  the  hearts  of  all  three  were  far  from  being  con- 
tented, though  they  returned  to  the  hut  laden  with 
fruits,  and  roots,  and  nuts,  and  vegetables ;  out  of  which 
they  intended  to  concoct  a  better  dinner  than  they  had 
been  lately  accustomed  to. 

The  rest  of  that  day  was  spent  about  the  hut,  and  a 
good  deal  of  it  was  given  up  to  culinary  operations. 
Not  that  any  of  the  party  cared  so  much  for  a  good 
dinner ;  but  being  thus  engaged  prevented  them  from 
reflecting  as  much  as  they  would  otherwise  have  done 
upon  their  painful  situation.  Besides,  they  had  no 
other  work  to  do.  They  had  no  longer  a  motive  for 
doing  any  thing.  Up  to  that  moment  the  preparing  the 
ropes  and  timbers  of  the  bridge  had  kept  them  em- 
ployed ;  and  the  very  work  itself,  combined  with  the 
hope  which  they  then  felt,  enabled  them  to  pass  the 
time  pleasantly  enough.  Now  that  these  hopes  were 
no  more, — that  their  whole  scheme  had  ended  in  fail- 
ure, they  felt  restless, — and  could  think  of  nothing  upon 
which  to  employ  themselves.  Preparing  their  dinner, 
therefore,  out  of  the  new  and  varied  materials  that  had 
come  into  their  hands,  was,  at  least,  some  distraction  to 
their  gloomy  thoughts. 


256  NEW    SURVEY    OF    THE    CLIFF. 

When  dinner  was  ready,  all  of  them  ate  heartily,  and 
with  a  relish.  Indeed,  they  had  been  so  long  without 
vegetables  that  these  tasted  to  them  as  fine  as  any  they 
had  ever  eaten.  Even  the  wild  fruits  appeared  equal 
to  the  best  they  had  ever  gathered  from  an  orchard  ! 

It  was  a  little  after  midday,  as  they  were  enjoying 
this  dessert.  They  were  seated  in  the  open  air,  in  front 
of  the  hut,  and  Caspar  was  doing  most  part  of  the  talk- 
ing. He  was  doing  his  best  to  be  cheerful,  and  to  make 
his  companions  so  as  well. 

"They're  the  best  strawberries  I've  eaten  for  a 
month,"  said  he ;  "  but  I  think  a  trifle  of  sugar  and  a 
drop  of  cream  would  be  an  improvement.  What  say 
you,  Karl  ?  " 

"  It  would,"  he  replied,  nodding  assent. 

"We  did  wrong  to  kill  all  our  cows,"  continued  Cas- 
par, with  a  significant  look  at  one  of  the  yak-skins  that 
lay  near. 

" By-the-bye,"  said  Karl,  interrupting  him,  "I  was 
just  thinking  of  that.  If  we  are  to  stay  here  all  our 
lives, oh  ! " 

The  painful  reflection,  again  crossing  Karl's  mind, 
caused  him  to  exclaim  as  he  did.  He  left  his  hypo- 
thetic sentence  unfinished,  and  relapsed  into  silence. 

Several  days  after  this  Karl  left  the  hut,  and,  with- 
out telling  his  intention  to  either  of  his  companions, 
walked  off  in  the  direction  of  the  cliffs.  Indeed,  he  had 
no  very  definite  nor  determined  aim  in  so  doing ;  a  sort 
of  hopeless  idea  had  come  into  his  mind  of  making  tho 
circuit  of  the  valley,  and  once  more  surveying  the  pre- 
cipice all  round  it. 

Neither  of  the  others  offered  to  accompany  him,  nor 


NEW    SURVEY    OF    THE    CLIFF.  251 

did  they  question  him  as  to  his  object  in  setting  out. 
Both  had  gone  about  business  of  their  own.  Caspar 
had  become  engaged  in  making  a  washrod  for  his  gun, 
and  Ossaroo  a  net  to  catch  the  large  and  beautiful  fish 
that  abounded  in  the  lake.  Karl,  therefore,  was  per- 
mitted to  set  forth  alone. 

On  reaching  the  precipice,  he  turned  along  its  base, 
and  walked  slowly  forward,  stopping  every  yard  or  two, 
and  looking  upward.  Every  foot — nay,  I  might  say 
every  ineh,  of  the  cliff  did  he  scan  with  care, — even 
with  more  care  than  he  had  hitherto  done ;  though  that 
would  appear  hardly  possible,  for  on  the  former  occa- 
sions on  which  the  three  had  examined  it,  their  recon- 
noissance  had  been  most  particular  and  minute. 

But  a  new  idea  had  shadowed  itself  in  the  mind  of 
Karl ;  and  it  was  in  obedience  to  this,  that  he  now  pro- 
ceeded with  a  fresh  examination  of  the  precipitous  en- 
closure that  imprisoned  them.  It  is  true  it  was  but  a 
sort  of  forlorn  hope  that  he  had  conceived ;  but  a  for- 
lorn hope  was  better  than  no  hope  at.#ll,  and  therefore 
Karl  was  determined  to  be  satisfied. 

The  thought  that  had  been  forming  in  his  mind  was, 
that  after  all  it  might  be  possible  for  them  to  scale  the 
cliff.  That  they  could  not  do  so  by  climbing  he  was 
already  satisfied ;  as  were  all  three.  Of  this  their 
former  examinations  had  convinced  them.  But  there 
were  other  ways  of  getting  up  a  precipice,  besides 
merely  climbing  with  one's  hands  and  feet ;  and  one  of 
these  ways,  as  already  said,  had  for  some  time  been 
shadowing  itself  in  the  mind  of  Karl. 

What  plan,  you  will  ask,  had  he  now  conceived? 
Did  he  design  to  make  use  of  ropes  ? 


258  NEW   SURVEY    OF   THE    CLIFF. 

Not  at  all.  Ropes  could  be  of  no  service  to  him  in 
going  up  a  cliff.  They  might,  had  they  been  fastened 
at  the  top  ;  for  then  both  he  and  his  companions  would 
soon  have  contrived  some  way  of  getting  up  the  ropes. 
They  could  have  made  a  ladder  of  a  single  rope  by 
which  they  might  have  ascended,  by  simply  knotting 
pieces  of  sticks  at  short  intervals,  to  serve  as  rests  for 
their  feet,  and  they  knew  this  well.  Such  a  contrivance 
would  have  suited  admirably,  if  they  had  been  required 
to  descend  a  precipice,  for  then  they  could  have  let  the 
rope  down,  and  fastened  it  at  the  top  themselves.  But 
to  go  up  was  altogether  a  different  operation ;  and  it 
was  necessary  for  at  least  one  to  be  above  to  render  it 
at  all  practicable  or  possible.  Of  course,  if  one  could 
have  got  to  the  top  by  any  means,  the  others  could  have 
done  so  by  the  same ;  and  then  the  rope-ladder  would 
not  have  been  needed  at  all. 

No.  Such  a  contrivance  could  not  be  used,  and  indeed 
they  had  never  thought  of  it — since  to  the  meanest 
comprehension  it  was  plainly  impossible.  Karl  there- 
fore was  not  thinking  of  a  rope-ladder. 

Nevertheless  it  was  actually  about  a  ladder  that  he 
was  thinking — not  made  of  ropes,  but  of  timber— of 
sides  and  rounds  like  any  other  ladder. 

"  What ! "  you  will  exclaim,  "  a  ladder  by  which  to 
scale  the  cliff!  Why,  you  have  told  us  that  it  was  three 
hundred  feet  in  sheer  height  ?  The  longest  ladder  in 
the  world  would  not  reach  a  third  of  the  way  up  such  a 
precipice.  Even  a  fireman's  ladder,  that  is  made  to 
reach  to  the  tops  of  the  highest  houses,  would  be  of  no 
use  for  such  a  height  as  that  ?  " 

"  Quite  true !  I  know  all  that  as  well  as  you,"  would 
have  been  Karl's  reply  to  your  objections. 


NEW   SURVEY    OF   THE    CLIFF.  259 

"  What,  then,  Master  Karl  ?  Do  you  design  to  make 
a  ladder  that  will  be  taller  than  all  we  have  ever  seen 
— tall  enough  to  reach  to  the  top  of  a  precipice  three 
hundred  feet  high  ?  We  know  you  have  both  energy 
and  perseverance ;  and,  after  witnessing  the  way  that 
you  worked  at  the  building  of  your  bridge,  and  the  skill 
with  which  you  built  it,  we  are  ready  to  believe  that 
you  can  accomplish  a  very  great  feat  in  the  joiner's 
lina;  but  that  you  can  make  a  ladder  three  hundred 
feet  in  length,  we  are  not  prepared  to  believe — not  if 
you  had  a  whole  chest  of  tools  and  the  best  timber  in 
the  world.  We  know  you  might  put  a  ladder  together 
ever  so  long,  but  would  it  hold  together  ?  or  even  if  it 
did,  how  could  you  set  it  up  against  the  cliff?  Never. 
Three  of  the  strongest  men  could  not  do  it, — nor  six 
neither, — nor  a  dozen,  without  machinery  to  assist  them ; 
therefore  scaling  the  cliff  by  means  of  a  wooden  ladder 
is  plainly  impracticable ;  and  if  that  be  your  idea,  you 
may  as  well  abandon  it." 

"  Quite  true,  I  know  all  this  as  well  as  you,"  would 
have  been  Karl's  reply ;  "  but  I  had  no  idea  of  being 
able  to  scale  the  cliff  by  means  of  a  ladder.  It  was 
not  of  a  ladder,  but  of  ladders,  I  was  thinking." 

"  Ha !  there  may  be  something  in  that." 

Karl  knew  well  enough  that  no  single  ladder  could 
be  made  of  sufficient  length  and  strength  to  have 
reached  from  the  bottom  to  the  top  of  that  great  wall ; 
or  if  such  could  be  constructed,  he  knew  equally  well 
that  it  would  be  impossible  to  set  it  up. 

But  the  idea  that  had  been  forming  in  his  mind  was, 
that  several  ladders  might  effect  the  purpose— one 
placed  above  another,  and  each  one  resting  upon  a  ledge 
12 


260  NEW   SURVEY    OP   THE    CLIFF. 

of  the  cliff,  to  which  the  one  next  below  should  enable 
them  to  ascend. 

In  this  idea  there  was  really  some  shadow  of  practi- 
cability, though,  as  I  have  said,  it  was  but  a  very  forlorn 
hope.  The  amount  of  its  practicableness  depended 
upon  the  existence  of  the  ledges  ;  and  it  was  to  ascer- 
tain this  that  Karl  had  set  forth. 

If  such  ledges  could  be  found,  the  hope  would  no 
longer  have  been  forlorn.  Karl  believed  that  with  time 
and  energy  the  ladders  might  be  constructed,  notwith- 
standing the  poor  stock  of  carpenter's  tools  at  their 
service ;  though  he  had  scarce  yet  thought  of  how  the 
holes  were  to  be  made  to  receive  the  rounds,  or  how 
the  ladders  themselves  might  be  set  upon  the  ledges,  .or 
any  other  detail  of  the  plan.  He  was  too  eager  to  be 
satisfied  about  the  first  and  most  important  point — 
whether  there  were  ledges  that  would  answer  the  pur- 
pose? 

With  his  eyes,  therefore,  keenly  scanning  the  face  of 
the  cliff,  he  kept  on  along  its  base,  walking  slowly,  and 
in  silence. 


KARL  CLIMBS  THE  LEDGE.          261 


CHAPTER  XL VI. 

KARL  CLIMBS  THE  LEDGE. 

HE  continued  on  until  he  had  reached  that  end  of 
the  valley  most  remote  from  the  hut,  and  along  the 
whole  of  the  cliffs  that  he  passed  his  reconnoissance 
had  been  fruitless.  He  saw  many  ledges,  and  some  of 
considerable  width — quite  wide  enough  to  rest  a  ladder 
upon,  and  also  allow  it  a  proper  lean  to  the  wall.  Some 
were  higher  and  some  lower;  but  unfortunately  they 
were  not  above  one  another,  as  Karl  desired  to  find 
them.  On  the  contrary,  they  were  far  apart — so  that 
if  one  of  them  could  have  been  reached  by  means  of  a 
ladder,  as  many  of  them  might,  this  would  in  no  way 
facilitate  communication  with  the  one  that  was  higher 
up. 

Of  course  then,  for  Karl's  purpose,  these  ledges 
were  of  no  avail ;  and,  after  observing  their  relative 
situations,  he  passed  on  with  looks  of  disappoint- 
ment. 

At  the  farthest  end  of  the  valley — that  is,  the  place 
farthest  from  the  hut — there  was  a  little  bay,  or  inden- 
tation, in  the  cliffs.  As  already  stated,  there  were 
several  of  these  at  intervals  around  the  valley,  but  the 
one  in  question  was  the  largest  of  any.  It  was  very 


262  KARL    CLIMBS    THE    LEDGE. 

narrow,  only  a  few  yards  in  width,  and  about  a  hundred 
in  depth — that  is,  a  hundred  yards  from  the  line,  which 
indicated  the  general  outline  of  the  valley,  to  the  apex 
of  the  angle  where  the  indentation  ended.  Its  bottom 
was  nearly  upon  the  same  level  with  that  of  the  valley 
itself,  though  it  was  raised  a  little  higher  in  some  places 
by  loose  rocks,  and  other  debris  that  had  fallen  from  the 
impending  cliffs. 

Karl  had  entered  this  bay,  and  was  regarding  its 
cliffs  all  around  with  intense  eagerness  of  glance.  Any 
one  who  could  have  seen  him  at  that  moment  would 
have  observed  that  his  countenance  was  brightening  as 
he  gazed ;  and  that  pleasant  thoughts  were  springing 
up  within  his  bosom.  Any  one  who  had  seen  that  face 
but  the  moment  before,  and  had  looked  upon  it  now, 
could  not  fail  to  have  noticed  the  change  that  had  so 
suddenly  come  over  it— a  perfect  contrast  in  its  expres- 
sion. What  had  produced  this  metamorphosis  ?  Some- 
thing of  importance,  I  warrant ;  for  the  young  botanist, 
naturally  of  a  sober  turn,  but  now  more  than  ever  so, 
was  not  given  to  sudden  transitions  of  feeling.  What, 
then,  was  the  cause  of  his  joy  ? 

A  glance  at  the  cliff  will  answer  these  interrogatories. 

At  the  first  glance  it  might  be  noted  that  that  part 
of  the  precipice  surrounding  the  bay — or  ravine,  as  it 
might  more  properly  be  called — was  lower  than  else- 
where,— perhaps  not  quite  three  hundred  feet  in  height. 
It  was  not  this  peculiarity,  however,  at  which  Karl  was 
rejoicing.  A  ladder  of  three  hundred  feet  was  not  to 
be  thought  of  any  more  than  one  of  three  thousand.  It 
was  that  he  had  just  observed  upon  the  face  of  the  cliff 
a  series  of  ledges  that  rose,  shelf-like,  one  above  the 


KARL    CLIMBS    THE    LEDGE.          ^  263 

other.  The  rock  had  a  seamed  or  stratified  appearance, 
although  it  was  a  species  of  granite ;  but  the  strata 
were  not  by  any  means  regular,  and  the  ledges  were  at 
unequal  distances  from  each  other.  Some,  too,  were 
broader  than  the  rest,  and  some  appeared  very  narrow 
indeed ;  but  many  of  them  were  evidently  of  sufficient 
width  to  form  the  stepping-place  for  a  ladder.  The 
lower  ones  especially  appeared  as  though  they  might 
easily  be  scaled  by  a  series  of  ladders,  each  from  twenty 
to  thirty  feet  long, — but  with  regard  to  those  near  the 
top,  Karl  had  great  doubts.  The  shelves  did  not  seem 
more  distant  from  each  other  than  those  below,  but 
their  horizontal  breadth  appeared  less.  This  might 
possibly  be  an  optical  delusion,  caused  by  the  greater 
distance  from  which  they  were  viewed ;  but  if  so,  it 
would  not  much  mend  the  matter  for  the  design  which 
Karl  had  in  view — since  the  deception  that  would  have 
given  him  an  advantage  in  the  breadth  would  have  been 
against  him  in  the  height,  making  the  latter  too  great, 
perhaps,  for  any  ladder  that  could  be  got  up. 

If  you  have  ever  stood  by  the  bottom  of  a  great 
precipice,  you  may  have  noticed  how  difficult  it  is  to 
judge  of  the  dimensions  of  an  object  far  up  its  face. 
A  ledge  several  feet  in  width  will  appear  as  a  mere 
seam  in  the  rock,  and  a  bird  or  other  creature  that  may 
be  seen  upon  it,  will,  to  the  eyes  of  the  beholder,  be 
reduced  far  below  its  real  bulk.  Karl  was  philosophei 
enough  to  understand  these  things.  He  had  studied  in 
an  elementary  way,  the  laws  of  optics,  and  therefore 
was  not  going  to  come  to  conclusions  too  hastily. 

In  order  the  better  to  form  judgment  about  the 
breadth  of  the  ledges,  and  the  height  of  the  respective 


264          K1RL  CLIMBS  THE  LEDGE. 

intervals  between  them,  he  stepped  back  as  far  as  tha 
ground  would  permit  him. 

Unfortunately  this  was  not  far,  for  the  cliff  on  the 
other  side,  as  already  stated,  was  but  a  few  paces  dis- 
tant. Consequently  he  was  soon  stopped  by  the  rocks, 
and  his  situation  for  viewing  the  upper  portion  of  the 
cliff  was  anything  but  an  advantageous  one. 

He  scrambled  up  one  of  the  highest  boulders,  and 
took  his  survey  from  its  top,  but  he  was  still  not  satis- 
fied with  his  u  point  of  view."  He  saw,  however,  that 
it  was  the  best  he  could  obtain  ;  and  he  remained  for  a 
good  while  upon  his  perch — with  eyes  bent  upon  the 
opposing  precipice,  now  fixed  upon  a  particular  spot, 
and  now  wandering  in  one  long  sweep  from  bottom  to 
top,  and  back  again  from  top  to  bottom. 

During  this  operation  the  expression  upon  his  face 
once  more  changed  to  one  of  deep  gloom,  for  he  had 
discovered  an  obstacle  to  his  designs  that  appeared  in- 
surmountable. One  of  the  spaces  between  two  of  the 
ledges  was  too  great  to  be  spanned  by  a  ladder,  and 
this,  too,  was  high  up  the  cliff.  It  could  never  be 
scaled! 

He  noticed  that  the  first  ledge  from  the  bottom  was 
about  half  as  high  from  the  ground  as  this  one  was  from 
that  immediately  below  it. 

Hitherto  he  had  been  but  guessing  at  the  height; 
but  it  now  occurred  to  him  that  he  should  throw  con- 
jecture aside,  and  ascertain  by  actual  measurement  the 
distance  from  the  ground  to  the  first  ledge.  This 
might  be  easily  accomplished — Karl  saw  that, — and 
once  done,  it  would  give  him  a  better  idea  of  the  dis- 
tance between  the  ledges  high  up. 


KARL    CLIMBS    THE    LEDGE.  265 

It  has  been  stated  that  the  measurement  could  be 
easily  made,  and  that  Karl  knew  this ;  but  how  ?  The 
ledge*  appeared  to  be  full  forty  feet  from  the  ground, 
and  how  was  it  to  be  reached  by  a  measuring  rule  ? 
But  Karl  had  no  measuring  rule  ;  and  it  was  not  in  that 
way  he  intended  to  go  about  it. 

You  will  be  conjecturing  that  he  looked  out  for  a  tall 
sapling,  of  sufficient  length  to  reach  the  ledge,  and  then 
afterwards  ascertained  the  number  of  feet  and  inches 
of  the  sapling.  Certainly  this  mode  would  have  done 
well  enough,  and  Karl  would  very  likely  have  made 
use  of  it,  had  not  an  easier  offered  itself — or  one  that 
at  the  moment  appeared  readier  to  him.  He  could 
have  told  the  height  by  triangulation,  but  that  would 
also  have  involved  the  procuring  of  a  sapling — and 
some  tedious  calculation  besides,  which  would  have 
required  time,  with  not  the  most  certain  results  either. 

Both  these  plans  had  occupied  his  thoughts  for  a 
while.  The  first  was  rejected  on  account  of  the  diffi- 
culty of  obtaining  a  rod  of  sufficient  length, — the  second 
was  set  aside  by  Karl  just  then  perceiving  that  without 
much  difficulty,  he  might  climb  up  to  the  ledge  itself. 
There  was  a  portion  of  the  rock  below  with  a  slanting 
face,  and  here  and  there  some  broken  hollows  and  jut- 
ting points  that  would  serve  him  as  foot-holds. 

Once  upon  the  ledge,  the  measurement  would  be 
simple  enough.  It  would  be  only  to  let  down  a  string 
with  a  small  stone  at  the  end,  like  a  plumber's  line; 
and  then  mark  how  much  string  it  required  to  reach 
the  ground. 

He  chanced  to  have  about  him  a  longish  piece  of 
'raw-hide  thong,  that  would  serve  admirably,  and  to 


266         KARL  CLIMBS  THE  LEDGE. 

carry  out  his  purpose,  he  at  once  determined  upon  as* 
cending  to  the  ledge. 

Drawing  the  thong  from  his  pocket,  and  attaching  to 
one  end  of  it  the  piece  of  stone,  he  approached  the  cliff, 
and  commenced  scrambling  upward. 

He  found  it  a  more  difficult  task  than  it  had  appeared, 
and  it  was  just  as  much  as  he  could  do  to  reach  the 
ledge  in  safety.  Had  it  been  Caspar,  the  climbing 
would  have  been  a  mere  bagatelle  ;  used,  as  the  young 
hunter  had  been,  to  the  precipices  of  the  Alps  while 
following  the  rock-loving  chamois. 

But  Karl  was  no  great  hand  at  such  gymnastic  exer- 
cises ;  and  he  was  all  out  of  breath,  and  a  little  bit 
frightened  at  his  rashness,  before  he  had  placed  himself 
safely  on  the  shelf. 

Stepping  along  it,  therefore,  till  he  reached  a  point 
where  the  cliff  below  was  vertical,  he  dropped  his  stone 
and  line,  and  soon  completed  his  measurement.  Alas ! 
it  proved  to  be  far  higher  than  he  had  conjectured  in 
viewing  it  from  below.  His  spirits  fell  as  he  contem- 
plated the  result.  He  was  now  certain  that  the  space 
higher  up  could  not  be  spanned  by  any  ladder  they 
might  be  able  to  construct. 

With  sad  heart,  he  returned  to  the  place  where  he 
had  made  the  ascent,  intending  to  go  down  again.  But 
it  is  sometimes  easier  to  say  go  down  than  to  do  it ;  and 
to  Karl's  great  consternation  he  saw  at  the  first  glance 
that  he  could  no  more  go  down  than  fly  upward  into 
the  air.  Beyond  a  doubt  he  was  in  a  fix;  regularly 
44 nailed"  upon  the  cliff. 


KARL    IN   A   FIX.  267 


CHAPTER  XL VII. 

KARL   IN  A  FIX. 

IT  ig  not  difficult  to  comprehend  the  reason.  Any 
one  who  has  ever  climbed  up  a  steep  ascent, — such  as  a 
piece  of  wall,  the  mast  of  a  ship,  or  even  an.  ordinary 
ladder, — will  have  noticed  that  the  going  up,  is  much 
easier  than  the  getting  down  again ;  and  where  the 
ascent  is  very  steep  and  difficult,  it  is  quite  possible  that 
a  person  may  make  their  way  to  the  top,  without  being 
able  to  get  back  to  the  bottom.  The  difficulty  of  de- 
scending is  much  greater  than  that  of  ascending.  In 
the  latter,  you  can  see  where  you  are  to  set  your  feet, 
and  also  what  you  are  to  take  hold  of  with  your  hands ; 
whereas,  in  the  former  you  have  not  this  advantage; 
but  must  grope  your  way  downward,  and  are  therefore 
continually  exposed  to  the  danger  of  missing  your  foot- 
ing, and  being  precipitated  to  the  bottom. 

This  was  just  the  situation  in  which  the  plant-hunter 
found  himself.  It  was  as  much  as  he  had  been  able  to 
pull  himself  up  ;  it  was  more  than  he  could  do  to  let 
himself  down  again  ;  this  he  perceived  at  a  single 
glance. 

It  is  true  that  the  rock  slanted  a  little,  and  he  had 
clearly  seen  this  from  below.  Now  that  he  looked  at  it 
12* 


268  KARL    IN   A    FIX. 

from  above,  he  could  scarcely  perceive  any  slant.  It 
appeared  almost  vertical,  and  it  was  full  forty  feet  to 
the  bottom  ;  a  fearful  height  when  viewed  from  above  ; 
He  wondered  how  he  had  been  able  to  climb  up  at  all, 
and  he  was  now  vexed  with  himself  for  having  been  so 
rash  and  foolish. 

But  he  could  not  stay  there  all  night.  Something 
must  be  done,  to  free  him  from  his  unpleasant  situa- 
tion ;  and,  gathering  resolution,  he  made  an  attempt  to 
descend. 

He  knelt  down  upon  the  ledge,  with  his  face  turned 
toward  the  cliff  and  his  back  outwards.  TJien,  grasp- 
ing the  rock,  in  his  hands,  he  allowed  his  feet  to  slip 
over.  He  succeeded  in  finding  the  uppermost  steps, 
but  then  came  the  difficulty.  He  dared  not  let  go  with 
his  hands,  so  as  to  get  another  step  downward  ;  and,  on 
lowering  his  feet  to  feel  for  a  fresh  foothold,  he  could 
not  discover  any.  Repeatedly  he  ran  his  toes  over  the 
face  of  the  rock,  groping  for  a  notch  or  jutting  point, 
but  he  could  find  nothing  upon  which  to  rest  either  foot, 
and  he  was  at  length  obliged  to  draw  them  up,  and  place 
himself  back  upon  the  ledge. 

He  now  bethought  him  that  there  might  be  a  better 
place  for  making  the  descent ;  and,  rising  to  his  feet, 
he  proceeded  to  search  for  it.  He  had  no  difficulty  in 
passing  along  the  ledge ;  it  was  several  feet  in  width, 
and  he  could  walk  erect  upon  it  without  danger.  It 
extended  for  nearly  fifty  yards  along  the  face  of  the 
cliff,  and  was  of  nearly  equal  breadth  all  the  way. 

Karl  proceeded  along  it  from  one  end  to  the  other,  at 
every  step  or  two  stopping  and  looking  downward. 

But  his  examination  ended  in  disappointment.    There 


KARL    IN    A   FIX.  269 

was  no  path  leading  from  it,  at  all  practicable  for  any 
other  creature  than  a  cat,  or  some  other  animal  with 
crooked  claws, — at  all  events,  there  was  no  place  where 
Karl  himself  could  get  down, — and  he  turned  to  go  back 
to  the  point  where  he  had  ascended,  with  a  feeling 
of  apprehension  that  he  wa§  not  going  to  get  down 
at  all  !  *r 

On  proceeding  along  the  ledge,  he  had  not  yet  bent 
his  eyes  upon  the  cliff  that  rose  behind, — his  attention 
being  altogether  occupied  with  the  part  that  lay  below ; 
on  going  back,  however,  his  eye  ranged  more  freely, 
and  he  now,  noticed  a  dark  hole  in  the  rock,  a  few  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  ledge.  This  hole  was  about  as 
big  as  an  ordinary  doorway,  and  upon  closer  examina- 
tion, Karl  perceived  that  it  was  the  mouth  of  a  cave. 
He  noticed,  moreover,  that  it  appeared  to  grow  wider 
beyond  the  entrance,  and  was  no  doubt  a  cavern  of 
large  dimensions.  He  had  no  further  curiosity  in  rela- 
tion to  it ;  only  that  the  reflection  crossed  his  mind  that 
he  might  be  compelled  to  pass  the  night  there.  This 
was  probable  enough;  unless,  indeed,, Ossaroo  or  Cas- 
par should  come  in  search  of  him  before  nightfall,  and 
relieve  him  from  his  elevated  prison.  But  it  was  just 
as  likely  they  might  not ;  for  frequently  one  of  the  party 
was  out  for  hours  together,  without  causing  any  uneasi- 
ness to  the  rest,  and  it  would  be  after  night  before  they 
would  feel  any  apprehension  about  his  absence.  In  the 
darkness,  too,  they  might  go  in  the  wrong  direction  to 
search  for  him,  and  might  wander  about  through  the 
woods  a  long  time  before  coming  near  the  place  where 
he  was.  He  was  in  the  very  farthest  corner  of  the  val- 
ley, and  shut  up  in  the  ravine,  with  rocks  and  high 


270  ,       KARL    IN   A   FIX. 

woods  between  him  and  them ;  and  thus  his  shouts 
could  not  be  heard  at  any  great  distance. 

These  were  the  reflections  that  passed  through  his 
mind,  as  he  returned  along  the  ledge  to  the  point  where 
he  had  climbed  up.  He  did  not  enter  the  cave  to  ex- 
amine it — as  he  would  certainly  have  done  under  other 
circumstances — but  his  curiosity  was  now  controlled  by 
the  apprehension  he  very  naturally  felt  in  the  dilemma 
in  which  he  was  placed. 

That  he  could  do  nothing  to  free  himself  from  it  was 
clear  enough  to  his  mind.  He  must  wait,  therefore, 
until  either  Caspar  came,  or  Ossaroo,  or  both ;  and, 
summoning  all  his  patience,  he  sat  down  upon  the 
ledge  and  waited. 

Of  course,  he  did  not  wait  in  silence.  He  had  the 
sense  to  know,  that  if  he  kept  silent  they  might  not 
find  him  at  all;  and  therefore,  at  short  intervals,  ho 
rose  to  his  feet,  and  shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice, 
causing  the  cliffs  to  reverberate  in  numberless  echoes. 

The  echoes,  however,  were  the  only  replies  he  re- 
ceived. Loud  as  were  his  cries,  they  were  not  heard 
either  by  Caspar  or  Ossaroo. 


THE    TIBET    BEAR.  271 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 
> 

THE    TIBET    BEAK. 

FOR  full  two  hours  sat  Karl,  chewing  the  cud  of 
impatience.  As  yet  the  feeling  he  experienced  was 
only  one  of  impatience,  mingled  with  a  considerable 
amount  of  chagrin  at  being  in  such  a  scrape,  and  hav- 
ing got  himself  into  it  in  so  simple  a  manner.  He  had 
no  very  painful  apprehensions  about  the  result — since 
he  made  quite  sure  that  his  companions  would  come  to 
his  relief  in  the  end;  They  might  not  find  him  that 
day,  or  that  night,  and  he  might  have  to  remain  all 
night  upon  the  ledge.  This,  however,  would  be  no 
great  hardship.  He  might  suffer  a  little  from  want  of 
his  supper,  and  he  might  have  to  sleep  in  the  cave,  but 
what  of  that  to  one  so  inured  to  hunger,  and  to  sleeping 
in  the  open  air,  as  he  was  ?  Even  had  there  been  no 
shelter,  he  could  have  stretched  himself  along  the  ledge, 
and  slspt  that  way  without  much  minding  it.  Certainly 
in  tl.3  morning  the  others  would  be  after  him,  his 
shouts  would  guide  them  to  the  spot,  and  then  it  would 
be  all  right  again. 

Such  w^s  the  reasoning  of  Karl,  and  therefore,  know- 
ing that  he  had  but  little  to  fear,  he  was  not  acutely 
anxious. 


272  THE   TIBET    BEAK. 

While  he  was  thus  comfortably  communing  with 
himself,  however,  his  eyes  rested  upon  an  object  that 
rendered  him  anxious  enough — nay,  more  than  anxious 
—-badly  frightened,  would  be  nearer  the  words. 

His  ears  first  guided  him  to  this  new  cause  of  alarm. 
While  sitting  on  the  ledge,  and  not  saying  a  word,  he 
heard  a  sound  that  resembled  the  snort  of  a  jackass, 
just  as  one  commences  to  bray. 

There  were  some  bushes  growing  at  no  great  dis- 
tance from  the  bottom  of  the  cliff,  and  it  was  from  th£' 
midst  of  these  bushes   the   sound   appeared  to   pro- 
ceed. 

After  hearing  the  snort,  Karl  kept  both  eyes  and 
ears  acutely  bent — the  former  fixed  upon  the  bushes ; 
and  in  a  minute  after,  the  sound  was  repeated,  though 
he  did  not  see  the  creature  that  uttered  it.  He  saw, 
however,  by  the  motion  of  the  twigs,  that  something 
was  passing  through  the  thicket ;  and  the  loud  snap- 
ping of  dead  sticks,  and  crackling  of  branches,  proved 
that  it  was  an  animal  of  great  weight  and  dimen- 
sions. 

Karl  was  not  long  in  doubt  as  to  the  dimensions; 
for  the  instant  after  he  beheld  the  body  of  a  large 
beast  emerging  from  the  thicket,  and  moving  out  into 
the  open  ground. 

It  required  no  skill  to  tell  what  sort  of  animal  it  was 
— a  bear  beyond  the  probability  of  a  doubt — and  yet 
it  was  of  a  species  that  Karl  had  never  before  seen. 
But  there  is  such  a  similitude  between  the  members  of 
the  Bruin  tribe,  that  he  who  has  ever  seen^one — and 
who  has  not  ? — will  easily  recognize  all  the  rest  of  the 
family. 


THE    TIBET    BEAR.  273 

The  one  which  now  presented  itself  to  the  observa- 
tion of  our  plant-hunter,  was  of  medium  size — that  is, 
less  than  the  great  polar  bear,  or  the  "  grizzly  "  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  but  larger  than  the  Bornean  species, 
or  the  sun-bear  of  the  Malays.     It  was  scarce  so  large 
as  the  singular  sloth-bear,  which  they  had  encountered 
near  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  and  with  which  they 
had  had  such  a  ludicrous  adventure.     It  was  but  little 
less,  however,  than  the  "  sloth,"  and,  like  it,  was  of  a 
cfeep  black  color,  though  its  hair  was  neither  so  long 
nor  shaggy.      Like  the  latter,  too,  its  under  lip  was 
whitish,  with  a  white  mark  on  its  throat  resembling  a 
Y  — the  stem  of  the  letter  being  placed  upon  the  mid- 
dle of  its  breast,  and  the  fork  passing  up  in  front  of  the 
shoulders — for  this  is  a  mark  which  belongs  to  several 
species  of  Southern  Asiatic  tjears.     In  other  respects 
the  bear  in  question  was  peculiar.     It  had  a  neck  re- 
markably thick ;   a  flattened  head,  with  the  forehead 
and  muzzle  forming  almost  a  straight  line — and  on  this 
account  distinguishing  it  from  the  sloth-bear,  in  which 
the  forehead  rises  almost  abruptly  from  the  line  of  the 
muzzle.     Its  ears  were  of  large  size — its  body  com- 
pact, supported  on  stout  but  clumsy  limbs — and  its  feet 
armed  with  claws  of  moderate  dimensions,  and  blunted 
at  their  points.     Such  were  the  markings  of  the  bear 
now  before  the  eyes  of  Karl ;  and  although  he  had 
never  seen  one  of  the  kind  before,  he  had  read  of  one ; 
and .  by  these  peculiarities  he  was  able  to  recognize  the 
species.     It  was  the  Tibet  bear   ( Ursus  Tibetanus) — • 
more  commonly  styled  by  closet-naturalists  Helarctos 
Tibetanus — one   of   the   bears   that   inhabit   the   high 
table-lands  of  Tibet,  and  is  supposed  to  range  through 


274  THE    TIBET    BEAR. 

the  whole  of  the  Upper  Himalayas,  since  it  has  been 
found  in  Nepaul  and  elsewhere. 

I  have  said  that  Karl  was  badly  frightened  with  this 
black  apparition.  This  was  at  the  first  sight  of  it,  as  it 
came  out  of  the  bushes ;  and,  indeed,  it  is  not  at  all 
surprising  that  he  was  so.  There  is  no  one, — not  even 
a  bear-hunter  himself, — who  can  encounter  a  bear  upon 
the  bear's  own  ground  without  feeling  a  little  trembling 
of  the  nerves ;  but  when  it  is  remembered  that  Karl 
was  quite  unarmed — for  he  had  left  his  gun  at  the  bol? 
torn  of  the  cliff — it  will  not  be  wondered  at,  that  the 
appearance  of  the  bear  caused  him  alarm. 

His  fright,  however,  was  of  short  duration  ;  and  for 
two  reasons.  First,  he  remembered  having  read  that 
this  species  of  bear  is  of  a  harmless  disposition  ;  that  it 
is  not  carnivorous,  but  feeds  only  on  fruits,  and  in  no  in- 
stance has  it  been  known  to  attack  man  unless  when 
wounded  or  assailed.  Then,  of  course,  it  will  defend 
itself,  as  many  animals  will  do  that  are  otherwise  gentle 
and  harmless. 

Another  reason  why  he  soon  got  over  his  fright  was, 
that  he  chanced  to  be  in  such  a  position  that  it  was  not 
likely  the  bear  would  attempt  to  come  near  him.  He 
was  quite  out  of  its  way  ;  and  if  he  only  kept  silent—- 
which he  would  be  careful  to  do — the  animal  might  not 
even  look  in  that  direction,  but  go  off  again  without 
perceiving  him.  In  hope  that  such  would  be  the  result, 
Karl  sat  without  stirring,  and  kept  as  quiet  as  a  mouse. 

But  Karl  chanced  to  be  building  his  hopes  on  a  false 
foundation.  The  bear  had  no  notion  of  going  off  as  it 
had  come — it  had  other  designs  altogether  ;  and,  after 
shuffling  about  over  the  stones — now  and  then  uttering 


THE     TIBET    BEAR.  275 

the  same  asinine  snort  that  had  first  called  attention  to 
it — it  marched  straight  forward  to  the  cliff,  just  under 
the  spot  where  Karl  was  seated.  Then,  rearing  its 
body  erect,  and  placing  its  fore-paws  against  the  rock, 
it  looked  up  into  the  face  of  the  astonished  plant-hunter  I 


276  AN   AWKWARD    DESCENT. 


CHAPTER   XLIX. 

AN   AWKWARD   DESCENT. 

IT  is  probable  that  the  bear  at  this  moment  was  quite 
as  much  astonished  as  Karl,  though  perhaps  not  so 
badly  scared.  It  must  have  felt  alarm  though,  for  on 
seeing  him  it  permitted  its  paws  to  drop  suddenly  to 
the  ground,  and  appeared  for  a  moment  undecided  as 
to  whether  it  should  turn  tail  and  run  back  into  the 
thicket.  It  did  actually  make  a  turn  or  two,  growling 
and  looking  up ;  and  then,  as  if  it  had  got  over  its  sur- 
prise, and  was  no  longer  afraid,  it  once  more  approached 
the  cliff,  and  planted  itself  to  spring  upward. 

On  first  perceiving  the  bear,  Karl  had  been  seated 
upon  the  ledge,  just  above  the  path  by  which  he  had 
climbed  up,  and  it  was  by  this  path  that  the  animal  waa 
threatening  to  asc*end.  On  perceiving  its  intention, 
Karl  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  set  to  dancing  about  on  the 
ledge,  uncertain  what  to  do,  or  whither  to  flee. 

As  to  opposing  the  ascent  of  the  bear,  he  did  not 
think  of  such  a  thing.  He  had  no  weapons, — not  even 
a  knife  ;  and  had  he  attempted  to  wrestle  with  it,  trust- 
ing to  his  strength  alone,  he  very  well  knew  that  the 
struggle  would  end  either  by  his  being  hugged  to  death 


AN    AWKWARD    DESCENT.  277 

in  the  arms  of  the  great  brute,  or  pushed  off  the  ledge 
and  crushed  to  atoms  in  the  fall.  He  had  no  idea, 
therefore,  of  standing  on  the  defence— he  thought  only 
of  retreating. 

But  how  was  he  to  retreat  ?  whither  was  he  to  run  ? 
It  would  be  of  little  use  going  along  the  ledge,  since  the 
bear  could  easily  follow  him  ;  and  if  the  animal  meant 
to  attack  him,  he  might  as  well  keep  his  ground  and 
receive  the  assault  where  he  stood. 

Karl  was  still  hesitating  what  to  do,  and  the  bear  had 
commenced  crawling  up,  when  he  chanced  to  remember 
the  cave.  This  suggested  an  idea.  Perhaps  he  might 
conceal  himself  in  the  cave  ? 

He  had  no  time  to  consider  whether  or  not  this  would 
be  a  prudent  step.  If  he  hesitated  any  longer,  the  great 
black  brute  would  lay  hold  of  him  to  a  certainty ;  and 
therefore,  without  reflecting  another  moment,  he  ran  off 
along  the  ledge. 

On  arriving  opposite  the  cave,  he  turned  into  it  ;  and, 
groping  his  way  for  a  pace  or  two,  squatted  down  near 
the  entrance. 

Fortunately  for  him  he  had,  upon  entering,  kept  well 
to  one  side  before  he  squatted.  He  had  done  so,  in  or- 
der to  place  himself  under  the  darkness.  Had  he  re- 
mained in  the  central  part  of  the  "  entrance-hall,"  he 
would  either  have  been  run  over  by  the  bear,  or  gripped 
between  its  huge  paws,  before  he  could  have  pronounced 
those  two  famous  words,  "  Jack  Robinson."  As  it  was, 
he  had  scarcely  crouched  down,  when  the  bear  entered, 
itill  snorting  and  growling,  and  rushed  past  him  up  the 
eave.  It  made  no  stop  near  the  entrance,  but  kept 
light  on,  until,  from  the  noises  it  continued  to  make, 


278  AN    AWKWARD    DESCENT. 

Karl  could  tell  that  it  had  gone  a  good  way  into  the 
interior  of  the  cavern* 

It  was  now  a  question  with  the  plant-hunter  what 
course  he  should  follow — whether  remain  where  he  was, 
or  pop  out  again  upon  the  ledge  ? 

Certainly  his  present  situation  afforded  him  no  secu- 
rity. Should  the  bear  return  to  the  attack,  he  could 
not  expect  it  to  pass  without  perceiving  him.  He  knew 
that  these  animals  can  see  in  a  very  obscure  light — al- 
most in  the  midst  of  darkness  ;  and  therefore  he  would 
be  seen,  or  if  not  seen,  he  would  be  scented,  which  was 
equally  as  bad. 

It  was  no  use,  then,  remaining  inside  ;  and  although 
he  might  be  no  safer  outside,  he  determined  to  go 
thither.  At  all  events,  he  would  have  light  around  him, 
and  could  see  his  antagonist  before  being  attacked ; 
while  the  thought  of  being  assailed  in  the  cave,  and 
hugged  to  death  by  an  unseen  enemy  in  the  darkness, 
had  something  awful  and  horrible  in  it.  If  he  were 
to  be  destroyed  in  this  way,  neither  Caspar  nor  Ossaroo 
might  ever  know  what  had  become  of  him — his  bones 
might  lie  in  that  dark  cavern  never  to  be  discovered  by 
human  eyes  :  it  was  a  fearful  apprehension  ! 

Karl  could  not  bear  it ;  and,  rising  half  erect,  he 
rushed  out  into  the  light. 

He  did  not  pause  by  the  entrance  of  the  cave,  but 
ran  back  along  the  shelf  to  the  point  where  the  path 
led  up.  Here  he  stopped,  and  for  several  minutes 
stood — now  looking  anxiously  back  towards  the  cavern's 
mouth,  and  now  as  anxiously  casting  his  glances  down 
the  giddy  path  that  conducted  to  the  bottom  of  tha 
cliff. 


AN   AWKWARD    DESCENT.  279 

Had  Karl  known  the  true  disposition  of  the  Tibet 
bear,  or  the  design  of  the  particular  one  he  had  thus 
encountered,  he  would  not  have  been  so  badly  fright- 
ened. In  truth,  the  bear  was  as  much  disinclined  to  an 
encounter  as  he  ;  at  a  loss,  no  doubt,  to  make  out  the 
character  of  its  adversary.  It  was  probable  that  Karl 
himself  was  the  first  human  biped  the  animal  had  ever 
set  eyes  on ;  and,  not  knowing  the  strength  of  such  a 
strange  creature,  it  was  willing  enough  to  give  him  a 
wide  berth,  provided  he  would  reciprocate  the  civility ! 

The  bear,  in  fact,  was  only  rushing  to  its  cave ;  per- 
haps to  join  its  mate  there,  or  defend  its  cubs,  which  it 
believed  to  be  in  danger,  and  had  no  idea  whatever  of 
molesting  the  plant-hunter,  as  it  afterwards  proved. 

But  Karl  could  not  know  this,  and  did  not  know  it. 
He  fancied  all  the  while  that  the  bear  was  in  pursuit 
of  him ;  that,  to  attack  him,  it  had  sprung  up  to  the 
ledge;  and  that  it  had  rushed  past  him  into  the  cave, 
thinking  he  had  gone  far  in  ;  that,  as  soon  as  it  should 
reach  the  interior,  and  find  he  was  no  longer  there,  it 
would  come  rushing  out  again,  and  then 

It  in  well  known  that  one  danger  makes  another 
seem  1  tss,  and  that  despair  will  often  lend  courage  to 
cowards. 

Karl  was  no  coward,  although  in  calm  blood  the 
descent  of  the  cliff  had  cowed  him.  But  now  that  his 
blood  was  up,  the  danger  of  the  descent  appeared  less ; 
and,  partly  inspired  by  this  belief,  and  partly  urged  on 
by  the  fear  of  Bruin  reissuing  from  the  cave,  he  deter- 
mined once  more  to  attempt  it. 

In  an  instant  he  was  on  his  knees,  and  letting  himself 
over  the  edge  of  the  rock. 


280  AN    AWKWARD    DESCENT. 

For  the  first  length  of  himself,  he  succeeded  beyond 
his  expectations,  having  found  the  steps  below  readily 
enough.  He  was  gaining  confidence,  and  the  belief 
that  it  would  be  all  right  yet,  and  that,  in  a  few  seconds 
more,  he  would  be  at  the  bottom,  where  he  coul^  soon 
escape  from  the  bear  by  taking  to  a  tree,  or  defend  him- 
self with  his  gun,  which  was  lying,  ready  loaded,  on  the 
ground.  All  the  while,  he  kept  his  face  upward,  except 
during  the  moments  when  it  was  necessary  to  glance 
below,  to  discover  the  position  of  the  steps. 

No  wonder  he  looked  upward,  with  eyes  full  of  anx- 
iety. Should  the  bear  attack  him  now,  a  terrible  fate 
would  be  his ! 

Still  there  were  no  signs  of  the  animal,  and  Karl  was 
gradually  getting  lower  and  lower  in  his  descent. 

He- was  yet  scarce  half-way  down,  and  full  twenty 
feet  were  between  his  heels  and  the  ground,  when  he 
arrived  at  a  point  where  he  could  find  no  resting-place 
for  his  feet.  He  had  found  one  upon  a  knob  of  rock  ; 
but  unfortunately  it  proved  brittle  and  gave  way,  leav- 
ing him  without  any  thing  broad  enough  to  rest  even 
his  toe  upon.  He  had  already  shifted  his  hold  with 
the  hands ;  and  was,  therefore,  compelled  to  support 
the  whole  weight  of  his  body  by  the  strength  of  his 
arms-! 

This  was  a  terrible  situation ;  and  unless  he  could 
immediately  get  a  rest  for  his  feet,  he  must  fall  to  the 
bottom  of  the  cliff! 

He  struggled  manfully ;  he  spread  out  his  toes  as  far 
as  he  could  reach,  feeling  the  rock  on  both  sides. 

Its  face  appeared  smooth  as  glass ;  there  was  noth- 
ing that  offered  foothold  ;  he  believed  that  he  was  lost  I 


AN   AWKWARD    DESCENT.  281 

He  tried  to  reach  the  notches  above  him  ;  first  with 
one  hand,  then  with  the  other.  He  could  just  touch, 
but  not  grasp  them ;  he  could  not  go  up  again ;  he 
believed  that  he  was  lost ! 

His .  arms  were  dragged  nearly  out  of  joint ;  his 
strength  was  fast  going  ;  he  believed  that  he  was  lost ! 

Still  he  struggled  on,  with  the  tenacity  by  which 
youth  clings  to  life ;  he  hung  on,  though  certain  that 
every  moment  would  be  his  last. 

He  heard  voices  from  below — shouts  of*  encourage- 
ment— cries  of  "  Hold  on,  Karl !  Hold  on ! " 

He  knew  the  voices,  and  who  uttered  them.  They 
had  come  too  late  ;  a  weak  scream  was  all  the  answer 
he  could  make. 

It  was  the  last  effort  of  his  strength.  Simultaneous 
with  its  utterance,  his  hands  relaxed  their  hold,  and  he 
fell  backward  from  the  cliff! 


282  A   MYSTERIOUS   MONSTER. 


CHAPTER  L. 

A   MYSTERIOUS    MONSTER. 

KARL,  poor  fellow !  was  killed,  of  course ;  crushed  to 
death  upon  the  rocks ;  mangled 

Stay — not  so  fast,  reader!  Karl  was  not  killed; 
not  even  hurt !  He  was  no  more  damaged  by  his  fall, 
than  if  he  had  only  tumbled  from  a  chair,  or  rolled 
from  a  fashionable  couch  upon  the  carpet  of  a  drawing- 
room  ! 

How  could  this  be?  you  will  exclaim.  A  fall  of 
sheer  twenty  feet,  and  upon  loose  rocks,  too!  How 
could  he  escape  being  killed,  or,  at  the  very  least,  badly 
bruised  and  cut  ? 

But  there  was  neither  bruise  nor  scratch  upon  his 
body ;  and,  the  moment  after  he  had  relinquished  his 
hold,  he  might  have  been  seen  standing  by  the  bottom 
of  the  cliff,  sound  in  limb,  though  sadly  out  of  wind, 
and  with  his  strength  altogether  exhausted. 

Let  us  have  no  mystery  about  the  matter.  I  shall  at 
once  tell  you  how  he  escaped. 

Caspar  and  Ossaroo,  having  expected  him  to  return 
at  an  early  hour,  took  it  into  their  heads,  from  his  long 
absence,  that  something  might  be  wrong ;  and,  there- 
fore, sallied  forth  in  search  of  him.  They  might  not 


A    MYSTERIOUS    MONSTER.  28$ 

have  found  him  so  readily  but  for  Fritz.  The  dog  had 
guided  them  on  his  trail,  so  that  no  time  had  been  lost 
in  scouring  the  valley.  On  the  contrary,  they  had  come 
almost  direct  from  the  hut  to  the  ravine  where  he  was 
found. 

They  had  arrived  just  at  the  crisis  when  Karl  was 
making  his  last  attempt  to  descend  from  the  ledge. 
They  had  shouted  to  him,  when  first  coming  within 
hail ;  but  Karl,  intently  occupied  with  the  difficulty  of 
the  descent,  and  his  anxiety  about  the  bear,  had  not 
heard  them.  It  was  just  at  that  moment  that  he  lost 
his  foothold,  and  Caspar  and  Ossaroo  saw  him  sprawling 
helplessly  against  the  cliff. 

Caspar's  quick  wit  suggested  what  was  best  to  be 
done.  Both  he  and  Ossaroo  ran  underneath,  and  held 
up  their  arms  to  catch  Karl  as  he  fell;  but  Ossaroo 
chanced  to  have  a  large  skin-robe  around  his  shoulders, 
and,  at  Caspar's  prompt  suggestion,  this  was  hurriedly 
spread  out,  and  held  between  the  two,  high  above  their 
heads.  It  was  while  adjusting  this,  that  Karl  had  heard 
them  crying  out  to  him  to  "hold  on."  Just  as  the  robe 
was  hoisted  into  its  place,  Karl  had  fallen  plump  down 
into  the  middle  of  it ;  and  although  his  weight  brought 
all  three  of  them  together  to  the  ground,  yet  they 
scrambled  to  their  feet  again  without  receiving  the 
slightest  injury. 

"  Ha  !  ha !  ha  ! "  laughed  Caspar,  "just  in  the  nick 
of  time !  Ha  !  ha !  ha  !  " 

Of  course  there  followed  a  good  deal  of  rejoicing 

and  congratulation  upon  this  narrow  escape.     Narrow 

it  certainly  was,  for  had  not  Caspar  and  Ossaroo  arrived 

in  the  "  nick  of  time,"  as  Caspar  expressed  it,  and  acted 

13 


284  A   MYSTERIOUS     MONSTER. 

as  promptly  as  they  had,  poor  Karl  would  never  have 
lived  to  thank  them.  *- 

"  Well,"  said  Caspar,  "  I  think  I  may  call  this  one 
of  my  lucky  days ;  and  yet  I  don't  know  about  that, 
since  it  has  come  so  near  being  fatal  to  both  my  com- 
panions." 

"  Both  ?  "  inquired  Karl,  with  some  surprise. 

"  Indeed,  yes,  brother,"  answered  Caspar.  "  Yours 
is  the  second  life  I've  had  a  hand  in  saving  to-day." 

"  What !  has  Ossaroo  been  in  danger,  too?  Ha !  he 
is  quite  wet — every  rag  upon  his  body!"  said  Karl, 
approaching  the  shikarree,  and  laying  hand  upon  his 
garments.  "  Why,  so  are  you,  Caspar, — dripping  wet, 
I  declare  !  How  is  this  ?  You've  been  in  the  lake  ? 
Have  you  been  in  danger  of  drowning  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes,"  replied  Caspar.  "  Ossy  has."  (Caspar 
frequently  used  this  diminutive  for  Ossaroo.)  "  I  might 
say  worse  than  drowning.  Our  comrade  has  been  near 
a  worse  fate — that  of  being  swallowed  up  !  " 

"  Swallowed  up ! "  exclaimed  Karl,  in  astonishment. 
"  Swallowed  up  !  What  mean  you,  brother  ?  " 

"  I  mean  just  what  I  have  said — that  Ossaroo  has 
been  in  great  danger  of  being  swallowed  up, — body, 
bones,  and  all, — so  that  we  would  never  have  found  a 
trace  of  him  !  " 

"  Oh  !  Caspar,  you  must  be  jesting  with  me  ; — there 
are  no  whales  in  the  lake  to  make  a  Jonah  of  our  poor 
shikarree ;  nor  sharks  neither,  nor  any  sort  of.  fish  big 
enough  to  bolt  a  full-grown  man.  What,  then,  can  you 
mean  ?  " 

"  In  truth,  brother,  I  am  quite  serious.  We  have 
been  very  near  losing  our  comrade, — almost  as  near  as 


A   MYSTERIOUS    MONSTER.  285 

he  and  I  have  been  of  losing  you ;  so  that,  you  see> 
there  has  been  a  double  chance  against  your  life  ;  for 
if  Ossaroo  had  not  been  saved,  neither  he  nor  I  would 
have  been  here  in  time  to  lend  you  a  hand,  and  both  of 
you  in  that  case  would  have  perished.  What  danger 
have  I  been  in  of  losing  both  ?  and  then  what  would 
have  been  my  forlorn  fate  ?  Ah !  I  cannot  call  it  a 
lucky  day,  after  all.  A  day  of  perils — even  when  one 
has  the  good  fortune  to  escape  them — is  never  a  pleas- 
ant one  to  be.  remembered.  No — I  shudder  when  I 
think  of  the  chances  of  this  day ! " 

"  But  come,  Caspar ! "  interposed  the  botanist,  "  ex- 
plain yourself!  Tell  me  what  has  happened  to  get 
both  of  you  so  saturated  with  water.  "Who  or  what 
came  so  near  swallowing  Ossaroo  ?  Was  it  fish,  flesh, 
or  fowl  ? 

"  A  fish,  I  should  think,"  added  Karl,  in  a  jocular 
way,  "judging  from  the  element  in  which  the  adventure 
occurred.  Certainly  from  the  appearance  of  both  of 
you  it  must  have  been  in  the  water,  and  under  the 
water  too  ?  Most  undoubtedly  a  fish !  Come,  then, 
brother !  let  us  hear  thisjish  story." 

"  Certainly  a  fish  had  something  to  do  with  it,"  re- 
plied Caspar ;  "  but  although  Ossaroo  has  proved  that 
there  are  large  fish  in  the  lake,  by  capturing  one  nearly 
as  big  as  himself — I  don't  believe  there  are  any  quite 
large  enough  to  swallow  him — body,  limbs,  and  all—- 
without leaving  some  trace  of  him  behind  ;  whereas  the 
monster  that  did  tlireaten  to  accomplish  this  feat,  would 
not  have  left  the  slightest  record  by  which  we  could 
have  known  what  had  become  of  our  unfortunate  com- 
panion." 


286  A   MYSTERIOUS    MONSTER. 

"  A  monster  ! "  exclaimed  Karl,  with  increased  aston- 
ishment and  some  little  terror. 

"  Well,  not  exactly  that,"  replied  Caspar,  smiling  at 
the  puzzled  expression  on  his  brother's  countenance ; 
"  not  exactly  a  monster,  for  it  is  altogether  a  natural 
phenomenon  ;  but  it  is  something  quite  as  dangerous  as 
any  monster ;  and  we  will  do  well  to  avoid  it  in  our 
future  wanderings  about  the  lake." 

"  Why,  Caspar,  you  have  excjted  my  curiosity  to  the 
highest  pitch.  Pray,  lose  no  more  time,  but  tell  me  at 
once  what  kind  of  terrible  adventure  is  this  that  has 
befallen  you." 

"  That  I  shall  leave  Ossy  to  do,  for  it  was  his  adven- 
ture, not  mine.  I  was  not  even  a  witness  to  it,  though, 
by  good  fortune,  I  was  present  at  the  <  wind  up,'  and 
aided  in  conducting  it  to  a  different  result  than  it  would 
otherwise  have  had.  Poor  Ossy !  had  I  not  arrived 
just  in  the  right  time,  I  wonder  where  you'd  have  been 
now  ?  Several  feet  under  ground,  I  dare  say.  Ha ! 
ha !  ha  !  It  certainly  is  a  very  serious  matter  to  laugh 
at,  brother  ;  but  when  I  first  set  my  eyes  upon  Ossaroo 
— on  arriving  to  relieve  him  from  his  dilemma — he  ap- 
peared in  such  a  forlorn  condition,  and  looked  the  thing 
so  perfectly,  that  for  the  life  of  me  I  could  not  help 
breaking  out  into  a  fit  of  laughter — no  more  can  I  now, 
when  I  recall  the  picture  he  presented." 

"  Bother,  Caspar  ! "  cried  Karl,  a  little  vexed  at  his 
brother's  circumlocution,  "  you  quite  try  one's  patience. 
Pray,  Ossaroo,  do  you  proceed,  and  relieve  me  by  giv- 
ing me  an  account  of  your  late  troubles.  Never  mind 
Caspar ;  let  him  laugh  away.  Go  on,  Ossaroo  ! " 
Ossaroo,  thus  appealed  to,  commenced  his  narration 


A   MYSTERIOUS    MONSTER.  287 

of  the  adventure  that  had  occurred  to  him,  and  which, 
as  Caspar  had  justly  stated,  had  very  nearly  proved 
fatal ;  but  as  the  shikarree  talked  in  a  very  broken  and 
mixed  language,  that  would  hardly  be  intelligible  to  the 
reader,  I  must  translate  his  story  for  him ;  and  its  main 
incidents  will  be  found  in  the  chapters  that  follow. 


"BANG/ 


CHAPTER   LI. 

"BANG." 

IT  so  happened  that  Ossaroo  had  made  for  himself  a 
regular  fish-net.  Not  being  permitted  to  poison  the 
lake  with  wolf's-bane,  and  having  no  bamboo  to  make 
wicker-work  of,  he  looked  around  for  some  other  sub- 
stance wherewith  to  construct  a  net ;  and  soon  found  the 
very  thing  itself,  in  the  shape  of  a  plant  that  grew  in 
abundance  throughout  the  valley,  and  particularly  near 
the  shores  of  the  lake. 

This  plant  was  a  tall  single-stemmed  annual,  with  a 
few  digitate  and  toothed  leaves,  and  a  loose  panicle  of 
greenish  flowers  at  its  top.  There  was  nothing  very 
remarkable  about  its  appearance,  except  that  its  stem 
was  covered  with  short  rigid  hairs,  and  rose  undivided 
to  a  height  of  nearly  twenty  feet.  Many  plants  were 
growing  together,  and  when  first  discovered— all  three 
of  our  adventurers  were  present  at  the  discovery — Cas- 
par had  said  that  they  reminded  him  of  hemp.  It  was 
not  a  bad  comparison  Caspar  had  hit  upon,  for  the  plant 
was  hemp,  as  Karl  immediately  made  known — the  true 
CannaUs  sativa,  though  the  variety  which  grows  in 
India,  or  rather  a  drug  extracted  from  it,  is  called  Can- 
nabis  Indica,  or  "  Indian  hemp."  It  was  the  tallest 


"  BANG."  289 

hemp  either  Karl  or  Caspar  had  ever  seen — some  of 
the  stalks  actually  measuring  eighteen  feet  in  length, 
whereas  that  of  the  northern  or  middle  parts  of  Europe 
rarely  reaches  the  height  of  an  ordinary  man.  In  Italy, 
however,  and  other  southern  portions  of  the  European 
Continent,  hemp  attains  a  much  greater  height,  rival- 
ling that  of  India  in  the  length  of  its  stalk  and  fibre. 
It  was  noticed  that  nearly  one  half  of  the  plants, 
although  growing  side  by  side,  and  mingled  with  the 
others,  were  much  riper,  and,  in  fact,  fast  withering  to 
decay.  The  botanist  explained  this  to  his  companions, 
by  saying  that  these  were  the  male  plants,  and  the  grow- 
ing ones  the  females ;  for  hemp  is  what  is  termed 
by  botanists  "  dioecious  " — that  is,  having  male  flowers 
on  one  plant,  and  female  ones  upon  another.  Karl  far- 
ther observed  that  the  male  plants,  after  having  per- 
formed their  office — that  is,  having  shed  their  pollen 
upon  the  females — not  only  cease  to  grow  taller,  but 
soon  wither  and  die  ;  whereas  the  females  still  flourish, 
and  do  not  arrive  at  maturity  until  several  weeks  after- 
wards. In  consequence  of  this  peculiarity,  people  who 
make  a  business  of  cultivating  hemp  pull  the  male 
plants  at  the  time  they  have  shed  their  pollen,  and 
leave  the  females  standing  for  four  or  five  weeks  after. 
It  is  well  known  that  hemp  is  one  of  the  finest  arti- 
cles in  the  world  for  the  manufacture  of  coarse  cloth, 
and  every  sort  of  cordage  and  ropes.  The  material 
used  for  the  purpose  is  the  fibrous  covering  of  the  stalk, 
which  is  separated  almost  by  the  same  means  that  are 
employed  in  obtaining  flax.  The  hemp,  when  pulled 
up,  is  tied  in  bundles,  and  for  a  time  submitted  to  the 
action  of  water.  It  is  then  dried  and  broken,  and  after- 


290  "BANG." 

wards  "scutched,"  and  rendered  still  cleaner  and  finer 
by  a  process  called  "  hackling."  It  makes  no  difference 
in  the  fineness  of  the  fibre  whether  the  stalks  be  small 
or  large,  since  the  great  coarse  stems  of  the  Italian  and 
Indian  hemp  produce  a  staple  equally  as  fine  as  the 
small  kinds  grown  farther  north. 

The  Russians  extract  an  oil  from  the  seeds  of  hemp, 
which  is  used  by  them  in  cooking,  and  by  painters  in 
mixing  their  colors. 

Hempseed  is  also  given  to  poultry — as  it  is  popularly 
believed  that  it  occasions  hens  to  lay  a  greater  number 
of  eggs.  Small  birds  are  exceedingly  fond  of  it ;  but 
a  singular  fact  has  been  recorded  in  relation  to  this— 
that  the  effect  of  feeding  bullfinches  and  goldfinches  on 
hempseed  alone,  has  been  to  change  the  red  and  yellow 
feathers  of  these  birds  to  a  total  blackness ! 

Notwithstanding  the  many  valuable  properties  of 
this  plant,  it  has  some  that  are  not  only  deleterious,  but 
dangerous.  It  contains  a  narcotic  principle  of  great 
power ;  and,  strange  to  say,  this  principle  is  far  more 
fully  developed  in  the  Indian  or  Southern  hemp  than  in 
that  grown  in  middle  Europe.  Of  course  this  is  ac- 
counted for  by  the  difference  of  temperature.  Any  one 
remaining  for  a  length  of  time  in  the  midst  of  a  field  of 
young  growing  hemp,  will  feel  certain  ill  effects  from 
it — it  will  occasion  headache  and  vertigo.  In  a  hot 
country  the  effect  is  still  more  violent,  and  a  kind  of 
intoxication  is  produced  by  it. 

From  observing  this,  the  Oriental  nations  have  been 
led  to  prepare  a  drug  from  hemp,  which  they  make  use 
of  in  the  same  way  as  opium,  and  with  almost  simi- 
lar results— for  it  produces  a  drowsy  ecstatic  feeling, 


"BANG."  291 

always  followed  by  a  reaction  of  wretchedness.  This 
drug  is  known  by  the  Turks,  Persians,  and  Hindoos, 
under  a  variety  of  names,  such  as  "  bang,"  "  haschish," 
"  chinab,"  "  ganga,"  and  others ;  but  under  any  name  it 
is  a  bad  article  to  deal  in,  either  for  the  health  of  the 
body  or  the  mind. 

But  Ossaroo  was  not  deterred  by  any  considerations 
about  its  baneful  effects;  and  as  soon  as  he  saw  the 
hemp  growing  in  the  valley,  he  recognized  the  plant 
with  a  shout  of  joy,  and  proceeded  to  prepare  himself  a 
dose  of  "bang."  This  he  did  by  simply  powdering 
some  of  the  dry  leaves,  which  he  obtainefl  from  the 
withered  male  stalks,  and  then  mixing  the  powder  with 
a  little  water.  An  aromatic  substance  is  usually  added 
4x>  give  flavor  to  the  mixture,  but  Ossaroo  did  not  care 
so  much  for  flavor  as  strength ;  and  he  drank  off  his 
"  bang  "  without  any  adulteration,  and  was  soon  in  the 
land  of  pleasant  dreams. 

The  discovery  of  the  hemp  had  made  Ossaroo  unu- 
sually happy.  He  had  been  suffering  for  the  want  of 
his  "  betel "  for  a  long  while,  and  the  rhubarb  tobacco 
had  proved  but  a  poor  substitute.  But  the  hemp  was 
the  very  thing,  as  it  not  only  afforded  him  an  intoxicat- 
ing drink,  but  its  dry  leaves  were  also  good  for  smok- 
ing; and  they  are  often  used  for  this  purpose  when 
mixed  with  real  tobacco.  Of  course  Ossaroo  had  none 
of  the  genuine  "  weed  "  wherewith  to  mix  them,  else  he 
would  not  have  troubled  his  head  about  the  rhubarb. 

Ossaroo,  however,  was  glad  at  discovering  the  hemp 
ror  another  reason.    From  its  fibres  he  could  make  cor- 
dage, and  with  that  cordage  a  net,  and  with  that  net  he 
would  soon  provide  their  table  with  a  supply  of  fish. 
13* 


292  "BANG." 

He  was  not  long  about  it.  The  hemp  was  soon  pulled, 
tied  in  bundles,  and  carried  to  the  hot  spring.  There 
it  was  immersed  under  the  water,  and  soon  sufficiently 
"  steeped ; "  for  it  is  well  known  that  hot  water  will 
bring  either  flax  or  hemp  to  the  same  state  in  a  few 
hours  that  can  be  obtained  by  weeks  of  immersion  in 
water  that  is  cold. 

Ossaroo  soon  prepared  a  sufficient  quantity  for  his 
purpose,  having  separated  the  fibre  by  "  hand-scutch-' 
ing ; "  and  working  continually  at  the  thing,  in  a  few 
days  he  succeeded  in  making  a  complete  mesh-net  of 
several  yards  in  length. 

It  only  remained  for  him  to  set  it,  and  see  what  sort 
of  fish  were  to  be  caught  out  of  that  solitary  mountain 
lake. 

And  now  for  Ossaroo's  adventure  ! 


SETTING   THE   NET.  293 


CHAPTER   LIL 

SETTING   THE    NET. 

KARL  had  not  been  very  long  gone  when  Caspar  and 
Ossaroo  both  left  the  hut,  but  not  together.  They 
parted  from  each  other,  taking  different  directions. 
Caspar  had  his  gun,  and  went  forth  to  search  for  game ; 
while  Ossaroo  proceeded  towards  the  lake,  with  the 
intention  of  capturing  fish. 

As  nothing  particular  happened  to  Caspar — not  even 
so  much  as  the  starting  of  a  head  of  game,  or  the  get- 
ting a  shot  at  any  thing — there  is  nothing  to  tell  about 
him  ;  and  I  shall  therefore  proceed  at  once  to  Ossaroo 
and  his  adventure. 

The  shikarree,  on  arriving  at  the  lake,  soon  found  a 
proper  place  to  set  his  net  in.  There  was  a  little  bay 
on  one  side  that  ran  for  some  twenty  or  more  yards  into 
the  land,  and  ended  just  a*t  the  embouchure  of  the  little 
rivulet  that  came  from  the  hot  springs. 

This  bay  was  narrower  at  its  mouth  than  elsewhere, 
where  it  formed  a  kind  of  miniature  "  straits."  The 
water  in  the  bay  was  of  considerable  depth  ;  but  just 
at  its  entrance,  where  the  straits  were,  it  was  not  over 
three  feet,  with  a  white  sandy  bottom  that  could  be 
seen  shining  like  silver.  Any  one  standing  near  this 


SETTING    THE   NET. 

point,  in  clear  weather,  could  easily  observe  fishes  of 
several  sorts  and  different  sizes  passing  into  the  bay 
and  out  of  it,  and  disporting  themselves  over  the  white 
sand  bed  that  shone  sparkling  beneath  them.  It  was 
an  interesting  sight  to  watch  them  at  their  innocent 
gambols,  and  the  boys  had  more  than  once  gone  down 
to  the  edge  of  the  straits  to  observe  them. 

But  Ossaroo  had  always  regarded  the  sight  rather 
with  feelings  of  chagrin  than  pleasure ;  for  plainly  as 
these  beautiful  fish  could  be  seen,  not  one  of  them  could 
he  capture.  Even  the  shoal-water  of  the  straits,  where 
there  was  a  sort  of  bar,  was  too  deep  to  be  dammed  up 
in  any  way,  and  Ossaroo  had  tried  one  or  two  plans  for 
taking  the  fish,  without  effect.  He  had  used  his  bow, 
and  endeavored  to  kill  them  with  arrows ;  but  they 
swam  too  deep,  and,  somehow  or  another,  he  always 
missed  them.  The  fact  was  that  Ossaroo  was  not 
practised  in  shooting  fish  with  the  arrow;  and  not 
understanding  any  thing  about  optics  or  the  laws  of 
refraction,  he  missed  his  mark  by  aiming  too  high. 

Had  he  been  an  Indian  of  North  or  South  America, 
instead  of  an  Indian  of  the  "  East  Indies,"  he  would 
have  pierced  those  fishes  with  an  arrow  at  every  twang 
of  his  bow. 

Instead  of  that,  he  only  mifsed  them,  and  was  con- 
stantly wading  in  to  recover  his  arrows,  but  never  to 
bring  out  any  fish.  He  was,  therefore,  rather  cha- 
grined than  pleased  to  see  them  so  fearlessly  and  freely 
playing  about  over  the  silvery  sand ;  and  this  very 
chagrin  had  caused  him  to  work  with  greater  diligence 
While  preparing  his  mesh-net. 

The  net  was  now  ready,  and  Ossaroo  walked  along 


SETTING    THE    NET.  295 

\ 

chuckling  and  congratulating  himself  on  the  prospect 
of  speedy  revenge — for  he  had  actually  become  in- 
spired with  a  revengeful  feeling  against  the  poor  fish, 
because  he  had  not  been  able  to  capture  and  kill  them ! 

The  place  where  Ossaroo  intended  to  set  his  net  was 
across  the  strait  that  formed  the  mouth  of  the  aforesaid 
bay.  He  had  designed  the  net  for  this  very  place ; 
and  had  made  it  of  such  length,  that  when  at  full 
stretch,  it  would  just  reach  from  one  side  to  tlie  other. 

The  upper  edge  of  the  net  was  attached  to  a  strong 
piece  of  raw  hide,  for  this  was  more  easily  attainable 
than  a  rope  of  hemp  ;  and  on  the  lower  edge  there  was 
'another  strip  of  hide,  to  which  were  fastened  the 
sinkers.  These,  with  the  floats  at  the  top — made  out 
of  a  sort  of  light  wood  that  he  had  found  in  the  valley 
— would  keep  the  meshes  fully  spread,  and  hold  the  net 
in  a  vertical  position. 

It  would  thus  form  a  complete  gate,  shutting  up  the 
little  bay,  and  leaving  neither  egress  nor  ingress  for 
any  fish  that  could  not  squeeze  itself  through  the 
meshes.  These  last  had  been  made  very  large ;  for 
Ossaroo  did  not  care  for  the  "  small  fry." 

It  was  the  big  fishes  he  was  desirous  of  capturing— 
some  of  those  large  fellows  who  had  so  often  glided 
from  under  his  arrows,  and  put  him  out  of  temper  by 
their  saucy  sporting. 

He  would  see  now  if  they  would  so  easily  escape  the 
meshes  he  had  so  cunningly  contrived  for  them. 

Proceeding,  therefore,  to  the  straits,  he  set  his  net 
across  the  narrowest  part,  and  just  by  the  entrance  to 
the  bay.  The  thing  was  easily  accomplished.  He  tied 
the  raw-hide  rope  to  a  sapling  on  one  side,  that  grew 


296  SETTING   THE   NET. 

down  by  the  edge  of  the  water.  Then  holding  the  up- 
per edge — so  that  the  net  would  settle  regularly  in  the 
water — he  waded  across,  carrying  the  line  along  with 
him,  and  made  it  secure  on  the  other  side.  Of  course 
the  sinkers  did  their  work  by  dragging  the  lower  sel- 
vage downward,  while  the  floats  kept  the  upper  edge 
from  dipping  below  the  surface  of  the  water. 

There  was  a  large  tree  upon  the  opposite  side — so 
large  that  its  great  branches  spread  half-way  across  the 
little  strait— and  when  the  sun  was  on  that  side,  which 
it  always  was  after  the  hour  of  noon,  this  tree,  covered 
with  thick  foliage,  quite  shadowed  the  water,  render- 
ing it  of  darkish  color,  and  somewhat  obscure.  At  this " 
hour  the  fish  could  not  be  so  easily  seen,  even  against 
the  background  of  the  silvery  sand  at  the  bottom. 

Now  Ossaroo  had  chosen  the  hour  when  the  sun  was 
gone  behind  the  tree,  for  he  knew  that  in  a  very  clear 
sunshine  the  fish  would  perceive  the  net,  and  of  course 
put  about,  and  shy  off  from  it.  He  had,  therefore, 
waited  for  the  afternoon  to  make  his  first  essay. 

Having  fastened  both  ends,  and  adjusted  the  whole 
matter  to  his  liking,  he  sat  down  upon  the  bank ;  and, 
summoning  all  his  patience,  awaited  the  result. 


OSSAROO     STUCK    FAST.  297 


CHAPTER  LIIL 

OSSAROO    STUCK   FAST. 

FOE  more  than  an  hour  sat  the  shikarree  watching 
every  ruffle  upon  the  water,  and  every  motion  of  the 
floats,  but  no  movement,  either  of  wood  or  water, 
seemed  to  indicate  that  there  were  fish  in  the  lake. 
Once  or  twice  there  appeared  a  little  "  purl "  on  the 
surface,  near  the  line  of  the  floats,  and  Ossaroo  fancied 
he  had  made  a  "  take  "  of  it ;  but,  on  wading  in  and  ex- 
amining the  net,  not  a  fin  could  be  found,  and  he  had 
to  wade  out  again  with  empty  hands.  These  "  purls  " 
were  occasioned  either  by  very  small  fish  passing 
through  the  meshes,  or  else  by  large  ones  who  came 
up,  and  touching  the  net  with  their  snout,  had  taken 
the  alarm  and  beat  a  retreat  back  to  the  pools  whence 
they  had  come. 

Ossaroo  was  beginning  to  grow  very  impatient  with 
his  ill-fortune,  and  was  thinking,  too,  what  a  sorry 
figure  he  would  cut  in  the  eyes  of  his  companions, 
after  returning  to  the  hut.  He  had  calculated  on  a 
great  triumph  to  be  obtained  by  means  of  this  net ; 
and  now  he  began  to  doubt  whether  it  might  not  turn 
out  a  humiliation  rather  than  a  triumph. 

At  this   crisis,  however,  an  idea  occurred  to   him 


298  OSSAKOO     STUCK    FAST. 

t  which  promised  success.  It  was  simply  to  drive  the 
fish  into  the  net,  by  wading  into  the  water,  and  making 
as  much  noise  and  commotion  as  he  could.  This  was 
certainly  a  very  good  plan,  and  Ossaroo  lost  no  time 
in  putting  it  into  execution.  Having  procured  a  long 
stick,  with  an  armful  of  large  stones,  he  entered  the 
bay  above  the  point  where  the  net  was  placed,  and 
then  plunging  through  the  water,  at  the  same  time 
beating  it  with  his  stick,  and  flinging  his  stones  into  the 
deepest  part,  he  succeeded  in  making  noise  enough  to 
have  frightened  all  the  fishes  in  the  lake. 

His  plan  succeeded  admirably.  In  less  than  five 
minutes — nay,  in  less  than  half  that  time — the  violent 
shaking  of  the  floats  told  to  the  attentive  eyes  of  the 
shikarree  that  one  or  more  large  fishes  were  in  the 
net  and  struggling  within  its  meshes.  He  now  gave 
up  beating  the  water  and  ran  to  make  sure  of  the 
prey.  On  approaching  the  strait,  he  perceived  that  a 
very  large  fish  had  been  caught.  It  was  near  the 
middle  of  the  net,  and  Ossaroo,  wading  out,  soon 
"  grabbed "  and  secured  it.  The  strong  creature 
struggled  hard,  and  endeavored  to  escape  from  the 
grasp  of  its  captor ;  but  the  latter  put  an  end  to  its 
efforts,  by  giving  it  a  sharp  knock  on  the  head  with 
one  of  the  stojies  which  he  still  carried. 

He  next  proceeded  to  release  it  from  the  meshes ; 
but  tLese,  on  account  of  the  desperate  struggles  which 
the  fish  had  made,  were  warped  and  twisted  around  its 
gills  and  fins,  and  worked  into  such  a  labyrinthine  puz- 
zle, that  Ossaroo  found  it  no  joke  to  get  them  clear. 
He  was  full  ten  minutes  in  accomplishing  this  feat,  but 
he  at  length  succeeded,  and,  holding  the  hugh  fish  tri- 


OSSAROO  STUCK  FAST.  299 

umphantly  in  his  hands  above  the  surface  of  the  water, 
he  uttered  a  shout  of  victory. 

He  was  about  to  wade  out  to  the  bank  with  his 
prize,  when,  to  his  astonishment,  he  found  that  he 
could  not  move  a  step !  He  tried  to  lift  first  one  leg 
and  then  the  other,  but  without  success.  Both  were 
held  as  fast  as  if  screwed  in  a  vice  !  At  first  he  wai 
only  puzzled  and  astonished,  but  his  astonishment  soon 
changed  to  dismay,  when  he  found  that,  exert  himself 
as  he  might,  he  could  not  move  a  limb !  He  at  once 
perceived  the  cause,  for  there  was  no  mystery  about 
that.  He  perceived  that  both  his  legs  were  fast  in  a 
quicksand,  into  which,  while  engaged  with  the  meshes 
of  the  net,  he  had  been  gradually  sinking.  The  sur- 
face of  the  sand  was  already  above  his  knees,  so  that 
he  could  not  even  bend  the  joints,  and  there  he  stood 
as  firmly  as  if  he  had  been  planted ! 

For  some  time  he  struggled  to  relieve  himself,  but 
his  struggles  were  of  no  avail — he  could  not  drag  out 
one  foot  or  the  other.  The  sand  was  wedged  around 
his  limbs,  and  held  him  as  firmly  as  if  it  had  been  Ro- 
man cement.  He  could  not  stir  from  the  spot ! 

At  first,  I  have  said,  Ossaroo  felt  only  astonishment, 
but  this  feeling  soon  changed  to  dismay.  It  became 
absolute  terror  when  he  perceived  that  he  was  still 
gradually  sinking ! — yes,  beyond  a  doubt,  he  was 
going  down  deeper  and  deeper.  The  sand  was  al- 
ready up  to  his  thighs,  and,  as  the  water  was  nearly 
a  yard  in  depth,  his  chin  almost  touched  the  surface. 
Six  inches  more,  and  he  would  drown  !  Drown,  thus 
standing  erect,  with  part  of  his  head  above  the  surface, 
and  his  eyes  wide  open  and  gazing  upon  the  light  of 


300  OSSAROO  STUCK  FAST. 

heaven  !  It  was  an  awful  situation — a  fearful  fate  that 
threatened  him ! 

It  would  not  be  true  to  say  that  Ossaroo  remained 
silent  during  all  this  terrible  trial.  He  did  nothing  of 
the  kind ;  on  the  contrary,  as  soon  as  he  became  aware 
of  his  danger,  he  set  up  a  continuous  screaming,  and 
yelling,  and  shrill  piping,  that  caused  both  the  woods 
and  rocks  to  ring  around  him,  to  the  distance  of  a  mile 
at  least. 

Fortunately  for  the  shikarree,  Caspar  chanced  to  be 
within  the  circumference  of  that  mile,  wandering  about 
with  his  gun.  The  quick  ear  of  the  hunter  caught  the 
sounds,  and  knew  that  they  were  signals  of  distress. 
Without  a  moment's  delay,  therefore,  he  set  off;  and, 
guided  by  the  cries,  soon  arrived  upon  the  ground. 

It  was  some  time,  however,  before  Ossaroo  was  re- 
lieved from  his  perilous  position,  for  although  Caspar 
could  wade  in  to  his  side,  he  was  quite  unable  to  drag 
him  out  of  the  sand.  In  fact,  Caspar  himself  sank  so 
rapidly,  whenever  he  stood  still,  that  he  was  compelled 
to  keep  constantly  moving,  and  changing  from  one  foot 
to  the  other.  His  strength,  then,  was  quite  unequal  to 
the  task,  and  both  began  to  be  uneasy  about  the  re- 
sult. 

Up  to  this  time  Caspar  had  been  laughing  heartily  at 
the  ludicrous  spectacle  which  Ossaroo  presented,  with 
only  his  head  above  the  water,  and  his  face  wearing  the 
most  lugubrious  of  looks ;  but  Caspar's  mirth  was  soon 
dissipated,  when  he  perceived  the  real  danger  in  which 
the  shikarree  was  placed ;  his  laughter  was  brought  ab- 
ruptly to  an  end,  and  an  expression  of  anxiety  now 
clouded  his  countenance. 


OSSAKOO    STUCK   FAST.  301 

But  Caspar  was  just  the  one  for  quick  thought  and 
action  in  a  case  of  danger  like  this,  and,  almost  in  an 
instant,  he  conceived  a  plan  by  which  Ossaroo  might  be 
saved.  Crying  to  the  latter  to  keep  still,  he  dashed  out 
of  the  water  and  loosed  the  net  at  both  ends.  He  then 
drew  out  the  long  rope  that  formed  its  upper  border, 
cutting  away  the  meshes  and  floats.  This  done,  he 
rapidly  climbed  the  great  tree,  and  sprawled  out  along 
one  of  its  horizontal  limbs  that  stretched  right  over  the 
place  where  the  shikarree  was  fixed.  He  had  taken 
the  rope  along  with  him ;  and,  now  throwing  one  end  to 
Ossaroo,  and  directing  him  to  fasten  it  around  his  body, 
he  passed  the  other  over  the  branch,  and  slipped  down 
it  into  the  water. 

In  a  few  seconds  the  rope  was  made  fast  upon  the 
body  of  Ossaroo — -just  under  his  armpits — and  then 
both  laid  hold  of  the  other  end,  and  commenced  pulling 
with  all  their  might. 

To  their  great  joy  their  united  strength  proved  suffi 
cient  for  the  purpose.  It  outbalanced  the  weight  and 
tenacity  of  the  sand ;  and  after  a  good  spell  of  pulling 
and  tugging,  Ossaroo's  limbs  were  drawn  upward  and 
once  more  set  free.  Then  both  rushed  out  to  the  bank, 
and  the  same  trees  and  rocks  that  so  lately  echoed  the 
mournful  cries  of  the  shikarree,  now  rang  with  shouts 
of  joy. 


802  A   DEMAND    FOR   BEAR'S    GREASE. 


CHAPTER    LIV. 

A   DEMAND   FOR   BEAR'S    GREASE. 

THE  peril  from  which  he  had  just  escaped,  drove  all 
thoughts  of  fishing  out  of  Ossaroo's  head,  for  that  day 
at  least.  Moreover,  the  net  was  damaged  by  the  rope 
having  been  so  rudely  taken  out,  and  would  require  re- 
pairs before  it  could  be  set  again ;  so,  taking  up  the  fish 
that  had  been  caught  and  the  net  also,  Caspar  and  the 
fisherman  walked  off  toward  the  hut. 

On  arriving  there,  they  were  surprised  to  find  that 
Karl  had  not  returned,  for  it  was  getting  late;  and 
fearing  that  some  accident  might  have  happened  to  him, 
they  lost  no  time  in  setting  forth  in  search  of  him. 

As  already  known  they  were  guided  upon  his  trail 
by  Fritz,  and  arrived  just  in  time  to  save  Karl's  life. 

"  But  tell  us,  brother,"  inquired  Caspar  after  a  while, 
"  what  took  you  up  there  anyhow  ?  " 

Karl  now  entered  into  a  detail  of  his  afternoon's  ad- 
ventures— telling  them  at  the  same  time  of  the  hope  he 
had  conceived  of  their  being  able  to  scale  the  precipice 
with  ladders. 

When  he  came  to  the  bear,  Caspar  was  all  ears. 

"  What !  a  bear  ?  "  he  exclaimed ;  "  a  bear,  you  say, 
brother  ?— Which  way  did  it  go  ?  " 


A  DEMAND  FOR  BEAR'S  GREASE.       303 

"  Into  the  cave — it  is  still  there." 

"  Still  in  the  cave !  Good !  we'll  have  him  out — let 
us  go  after  him  at  once." 

"  No,  brother,  it  is  better  not, — it  might  be  dangerous 
to  attack  him  in  the  c?fcre." 

"  Not  a  bit  of  it,"  replied  the  daring  hunter ;  "  Ossa- 
roo  says  that  these  bears  are  great  cowards,  and  that  he 
would  not  be  afraid  to  attack  one  single-handed  with 
his  spear.  You  think  so,  shikarree  ?  " 

"  Yes,  Sahib,  he  bear — big  coward,  me  no  fear  him 
anywhere." 

"  You  remember,  Karl,  how  the  other  one  ran  from 
us — just  like  a  deer  would  have  done." 

"  But  this  one  is  a  different  kind,"  suggested  Karl ; 
and  Karl  proceeded  to  describe  the  bear  which  he  had 
encountered. 

Ossaroo,  however,  knew  the  animal  by  the  description 
given,  and  declared  that  it  was  quite  as  timid  a  creature 
as  the  sloth-bear.  He  had  hunted  this  kind  in  the  Syl- 
het  Hills — where  he  had  been  upon  §n  expedition — and 
where,  he  asserted,  the  Tibet  bear  was  to  be  found  in 
considerable  numbers.  It  would  not  be  dangerous, 
therefore,  to  attack  it  in  the  cave,  or  anywhere  else. 
Such  was  the  opinion  of  the  shikarree. 

Karl  at  length  ceased  to  urge  his  objections.  He 
began  to  think  that  the  bear  had  not  been  in  pursuit  of 
him,  after  all, — else  it  would  have  returned  out  of  the 
cave  on  not  finding  him — most  likely  the  cave  was  its 
den,  and  it  was  to  hide  itself  there  that  it  had  rushed  so 
determinedly  past  him.  This  appeared  probable  enough, 
eince  they  had  been  waiting  a  good  while,  and  Bruin 
had  not  yet  condescended  to  show  himself  upon  tho 
ledge.  , 


304  A   DEMAND    FOR    BEAR'S    GREASE. 

It  was  resolved,  therefore,  that  they  should  all  enter 
the  cavern,  and  kill  the  bear  if  possible. 

This  resolve,  however,  was  not  made  without  con- 
siderable deliberation  ;  but  two  reasons  were  at  length 
brought  forward  that  not  only^decided  the  point  in 
favor  of  killing  the  bear,  but  rendered  it  a  matter  of 
some  consequence  that  they  should  succeed  in  this 
design. 

The  first  reason  was  that  they  really  wanted  the 
animal,  and  it  was  of  importance  to  them  that  it  should 
be  killed. 

It  was  not  for  its  fine  skin  they  wanted  it — though 
that  might  be  of  use  to  them  in  the  cold  winter,  now 
near  at  hand — nor  did  they  want  to  kill  the  bear  merely 
for  the  pleasure  and  excitement  of  the  thing.  No.  They 
had  a  very  different  object  in  view.  They  wanted  the 
carcass,  or  rather  that  portion  of  it  that  is  termed  tho 
"  fat."  They  wanted  the  "bear's  grease." 

For  what  purpose?  you  will  ask.  To  make  their 
hair  grow  ?  Nothing  of  the  sort.  The  hair  of  all 
three,  from  late  neglect,  was  long  enough— quite  as  long 
as  they  could  have  wished  it.  Caspar's  curls  hung  over 
his  shoulders,  and  Ossaroo's  snaky  black  tresses  dangled 
down  his  back  like  the  tail  of  a  horse.  Even  Karl's 
silken  locks  were  long  enough  to  have  satisfied  the 
most  romantip  of  refugees.  No.  They  wanted  the 
bear's  fat,  not  for  their  hair,  but  for  their  kitchen. 
They  wanted  it  to  cook  with,  for  one  thing,  but  a  still 
more  important  use  they  intended  to  apply  it  to, — and 
that  was  for  making  candles  !  For  both  of  the  above 
purposes  they  had  need  of  the  bear's  fat,  since  the  other 
animals  which  they  were  accustomed  to  hunt  and  kill 


A    DEMAND    FOR    BEARS    GREASE.  305 

were  chiefly  ruminant  animals,  with  very  little  fat  upon 
them,  and  never  enough  of  it  to  cook  their  own  flesh. 

You  who  live  in  a  land  where  there  is  plenty  of  lard 
and  butter,  can  hardly  understand  what  it  is  to  be  with- 
out these  essential  articles  of  the  cuisine.  In  most  civ- 
ilized countries  that  valuable  pachyderm, — the  pig, — • 
supplies  the  desideratum  of  lard ;  and  you  will  scarce 
appreciate  the  importance  of  this  article  until  you  have 
travelled  in  a  country  where  the  hog  is  not  found 
among  the  domesticated  animals.  In  such  places  the 
smallest  morsel  of  fat  is  highly  prized,  for  without  it, 
good  cooking  is  a  dry  and  difficult  business. 

Such  considerations  as  these  determined  the  fate  of 
the  bear.  The  hunters  well  knew  that  animals  of  this 
kind  yield  large  quantities  of  the  very  best  fat,  which 
they  then  stood  in  want  of,  and  would  need  still  more 
during  the  long  nights  of  winter.  Perhaps  there  might 
be  more  than  one  bear  in  the  cave ;  so  much  the  better ; 
one  or  more,  they  must  be  attacked  and  killed. 

But  there  was  another  reason  wjiy  they  had  deter- 
mined to  enter  the  cave ;  one  of  far  greater  considera- 
tion than  the  killing  of  the  bear.  It  was  Caspar  who 
had  suggested  it. 

"Why,"  asked  he,  "why  might  we  not  get  out  by  this 
very  cave  ?  What  if  it  should  prove  to  run  upward^ 
and  have  an  entrance  above,  or  on  the  other  side  of  the 
mountain  ?  " 

Both  Karl  and  Ossaroo  were  startled  at  the  sugges- 
tion. The  idea  put  all  of  them  into  a  flurry  of  excite- 
ment. 

"  I  have  read  of  such  things,"  continued  Caspar ;  u  of 
great  caverns  that  extended  from  one  side  of  a  moun- 


306  A   DEMAND    FOR    BEAR'S    GREASE. 

tain  to  the  other.  There  is  one  in  America  that  has 
been  traced  for  twelve  miles ;  the  Mammoth,  I  mean  ! 
This  might  be  one  of  the  same  kind.  You  say  you 
saw  far  into  it,  Karl  ?  Let  us  explore  it  then,  and  see 
where  it  leads  to  !  " 

It  was  but  a  slight  hope,  still  it  was  a  hope ;  and  it 
could  not  cost  much  trouble  to  give  the  cave  a  thorough 
exploration.  It  would  be  but  a  small  matter  compared 
with  the  construction  of  ladders  to  scale  the  cliff;  be- 
sides, they  were  now  convinced  by  a  farther  examina- 
tion of  the  precipice  that  this  was  not  practicable,  and 
had  quite  abandoned  all  thought  of  it.  Should  the 
cavern  prove  to  be  of  vast  extent,  and  have  another 
opening  elsewhere  than  in  the  valley,  they  might  escape 
from  their  terrible  prison,  and  their  troubles  would  be 
at  an  end. 

With  such  hopes, — that  were  indeed  little  better  than 
fancies, — they  consoled  themselves  for  the  moment. 

It  was  resolved,  then,  that  on  the  morrow  the  cave 
was  to  be  entered.  For  all  the  assistance  they  would 
have  from  the  light  of  the  sun,  they  might  as  well  have 
"egun  their  exploration  at  night.  But  they  were  not 
ready  to  begin.  Torches  had  to  be  procured ;  and  a 
notched  tree  by  which  to  ascend  the  cliff;  and  to  obtain 
these  required  time.  They  would  have  them  ready  by 
the  morrow. 

With  this  determination,  they  returned  to  their  hut ; 
and  at  once  set  about  making  the  torches,  and  prepar- 
ing the  notched  tree  for  their  ladder.  There  were  other 
little  preparations  to  be  made,  but  most  of  them  were 
completed  before  they  thought  of  retiring  to  rest. 


BEAR-HUNT    BY   TORCH-LIGHT.  307 


CHAPTER  LV. 

BEAR-HUNT   BY   TORCH-LIGHT. 

As  soon  as  it  was  daylight  again,  they  went  to  work 
once  more,  and  finished  their  preparations  for  entering 
the  cave,  and  at  a  tolerably  early  hour  they  took  the 
route  for  the  ravine. 

Two  of  them  carried  the  improvised  ladder ;  which 
was  only  a  slender  pine-tree,  of  about  forty  feet  long, 
notched  by  the  axe,  the  notches  being  at  intervals  of  a 
foot  to  eighteen  inches  apart.  At  its  more  slender  part, 
there  were  no  notches  required,  as  the  natural  branches 
of  the  tree,  lopped  into  short  stumps,  were  to  be  used  as 
footholds,  and  would  serve  the  purpose  better  than  any 
notches. 

Forty  feet  of  even  the  slenderest  tree  when  green 
would  be  load  sufficient  for  a  couple  of  stout  men.  This 
one  was  not  green ;  for  they  had  been  fortunate  enough 
to  find  one  that  had  fallen  long  ago,  and  that  was  now 
quite  dead  and  dry.  For  all  that,  it  "  tied  "  the  united 
strength  o?  Caspar  and  Ossaroo  to  carry  it  along,  for  it 
was  they  who  performed  this  duty.  Karl  was  loaded 
with  the  guns,  torches,  and  the  great  spear  of  the  shik- 
arree.  Fritz  carried  nothing  except  his  tail ;  and  this 
he  bore  aloft  in  a  swaggerish  manner,  as  though  he 
14 


308  BEAR-HUNT    BY    TORCH-LIGHT. 

knew  that  something  more  than  common  was  designed, 
and  that  grand  game  was  to  be  killed  that  day. 

They  moved  but  slowly ;  but  after  about  two  hours' 
walking,  including  many  stoppages  and  rests,  they  ar- 
rived within  the  ravine  and  under  the  ledge. 

It  occupied  about  another  hour  to  erect  the  ladder. 
It  was  placed  nearly  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  cave, 
instead  of  by  the  path  ;  for  there  appeared  a  favorable 
crevice  in  the  rocks,  which  promised  to  hold  it  steady, 
and  keep  it  from  turning  round  ;  an  important  consid- 
eration with  so  rude  a  ladder.  The  upper  end  of  the 
tree  was  laid  into  the  crevice,  and  fitted  exactly.  The 
lower  end  was  rendered  firm  by  something  like  a  cart- 
load of  heavy  boulders  being  built  around  it.  It  could 
neither  shift  nor  turn.  It  was  fast  as  a  shut  trap.  Noth- 
ing now  remained  but  to  ascend,  light  the  torches,  and 
enter  the  cave. 

A  question,  however,  arose,  whether  Bruin  might 
still  be  inside  ?  It  was  doubtful  enough,  and  there  was 
no  means  of  knowing.  He  had  ample  time  to  have 
gone*  out,  since  they  left  the  place  on  the  preceding 
evening,  and,  very  likely,  had  wandered  forth  for  a  noc- 
turnal ramble;  but,  had  he  returned?  was  he  now 
"at  home  "to  receive  them?  or,  was  he  t  still  abroad, 
robbing  the  bushes  of  their  fruit,  and  the  bees  of  their 
honey  ? 

No  one  could  tell ;  there  was  no  sign  visible ;  no  hint 
far  visitors.  The  door  was  open,  and  all  *who  came 
might  enter  or  not,  as  they  pleased. 

For  a  while,  our  hunters  had  some  hesitation  about 
this  matter,  and  debated  the  point  as  to  whether  it  might 
not  be  better  to  He  in  ambush,  and  watch  for  Bruin 


BEAR-HUNT    BY    TORCH-LIGHT.  309 

going  out  or  returning  home.  Most  certainly  the  cave 
was  his  home.  The  path  leading  up  had  all  the  ap- 
pearance of  being  much  used.  The  rocks  were  scratched 
by  his  claws,  and  discolored  by  his  feet — his,  or  those 
of  other  animals.  Karl  had  noticed  all  this,  when  mak- 
ing his  first  ascent ;  therefore,  there  need  be  no  fear  but 
that  the  bear  would  come  back  in  one  direction  or 
another. 

He  might  be  trapped,  and  that  would  save  a  strug- 
gle ;  but  this  mode  was  not  to  the  liking  either  of 
Caspar  or  Ossaroo,  and  Fritz  apparently  voted  for  a 
bear-fight.  * 

Ossaroo,  especially,  declared  that  there  was  not  the 
slightest  danger  in  attacking  him,  armed  as  they  were  ; 
not  so  much  as  there  would  be  in  an  encounter  with  a 
sambur  stag.  He  suggested,  moreover,  that  it  might  be 
days  before  they  would  set  eyes  upon  him ;  that  he 
might  go  to  sleep  in  his  den,  and  lie  there  for  a  week 
without  showing  himself ;  and,  therefore,  it  would  never 
do  to  wait  for  him.  He  must  be  looked  for  within  the 
cave,  and  assailed  in  his  gloomy  stronghold.  So  coun- 
selled the  Hindoo  hunter. 

But  it  needed  no  argument.  Karl  alone  was  for  the 
prudent  way  of  setting  a  trap,  and  capturing  the  animal 
without  risk  ;  but  Karl  was  as  anxious  as  either  of  the 
others  to  explore  the  cave.  The  words  of  Caspar  had 
made  a  deep  impression  upon  him ;  and,  slight  as  was 
the  h-rpe  that  Caspar's  conjecture  might  be  true,  still 
there  vras  something  in  it.  It  might  be  so.  Once 
more,  it  was  like  the  drowning  man  catching  at  the 
straw, 

Without  farther  hesitation  the  ladder  was  set  up,  as 


310  BEAR-HUNT    BY    TORCH-LIGHT. 

already  described  ;  and,  shortly  after,  all  four—  for  Frita 
is  to  be  counted  in  this  adventure — stood  upon  the  ledge 
in  front  of  the  cavern's  mouth. 

Each  had  now  possession  of  his  own  weapons  :  Karl, 
his  rifle  ;  Caspar,  the  double-barrel ;  and  Ossaroo,  his 
spear,  bow  and  arrows,  hatchet  and  knife. 

There  were  two  torches,  each  one  nearly  a  yard  in 
length,  with  handles  that  measured  nearly  another  yard. 
They  were  made  of  splints  from  the  pine-trees,  that  had 
been  shaved  off  while  dressing  the  latter  for  the  bridge. 
They  were  now  quite  dry,  and,  tied  together  in  a  bun 
die,  would  burn  splendidly.  They  VereLno  novelty, 
these  torches.  They  had  made  similar  ones  before,  and 
tried  them ;  and,  therefore,  they  could  depend  upon 
them  to  give  them  light  within  the  cave. 

They  entered  without  lighting  the  torches,  intending 
only  to  use  them  when  it  became  necessary.  Perhaps, 
after  all,  the  cave  might  be  of  small  extent,  though  Karl 
believed  that  such  was  not  the  case.  He  had  noted  that 
the  bear  had  gone  a  good  way  back,  as  he  was  able  to 
judge  by  his  snorts  and  growling. 

This  point  was  soon  settled.  When  they  had  pro- 
ceeded many  paces  from  the  entrance,  and  the  light  of 
the  sun  began  to  fail  them,  they  could  perceive  that  the 
cavern  grew  wider  and  higher,  and,  like  a  great,  black 
gateway,  yawned  far  back  into  the  rocks.  Apparently, 
there  was  no  termination  to  it !  ^ 

The  tinder  which  they  had  prepared  was  now  set  on 
fire ;  and  the  ends  of  the  torches,  touched  with  pine-tree 
resin,  were  soon  ignited,  and  began  to  blaze. 

All  at  once  the  cavern  shone  with  a  thousand  lights, 
which  had  not  been  hitherto  observed.  The  sparkling 


BEAR-HUNT    BY    TORCH-LIGHT.  311 

stalactites  projecting  downward  from  the  roof,  with  herje 
and  there  the  drops  of  clear  filtered  water,  gave  back 
the  glare  from  the  torches  in  a  thousand  coruscations. 
It  seemed  to  our  young  hunters  as  though  they  were 
treading  the  famed  halls  of  Aladdin's  palace. 

On  they  marched  along  the  wide  passage,  holding 
their  torches  on  high,  and,  at  intervals,  pausing  to  ex- 
amine some  nook  or  chamber  that  opened  right  or  left—- 
still searching  for  the  bear.  As  yet,  they  had  seen  no 
traces  of  the  animal ;  though,  from  the  excited  baying 
of  Fritz,  it  was  plain  to  them  that  either  Bruin  himself, 
or  some  other  quadruped,  had  passed  up  the  cave  before 
them.  The  dog  was  evidently  upon  a  hot  scent,  and 
lifting  it  as  fast  as  they  could  follow  him. 

.  A  little  after,  Fritz  doubled  to  one  side,  and  appeared 
busy  with  some  object  by  the  side  of  the  cave.  The 
hunters  were  under  the  impression  that  the  game  had 
•been  found,  and  halted,  each  bringing  his  piece  to  the 
ready. 

After  a  moment,  however,  Fritz  glided  out,  and  again 
sprang  forward  on  the  trail.  The  torches  were  carried 
up  to  where  Fritz  had  made  his  temporary  pause,  and, 
under  their  light,  a  large  pile  of  withered  leaves  and 
grass  was  made  visible.  It  was  the  snug  den  of  Bruin 
— still  warm  where  his  huge  carcass  had  lain  ;  but  the 
cunning  brute  was  no  longer  "abed."  He  had  been 
roused  by*the  noises  of  his  enemies,  and  had  retreated 
farther  into  the  cavern. 

Fritz  was  again  moving  forward  along  the  trail,  ut- 
tering an  occasional  "  growl "  as  he  went.  He  was  by 
no  means  a  fast  dog  at  taking  up  a  scent,  nor  yet  on  the 
run.  These  were  not  his  qualities.  But  he  was  stanch 


312  BEAR-HUNT    BY-  TORCH-LIGHT. 

and  sure,  and  desperate  when  once  he  grappled  with  the 
game.  So  sure  was  he,  that,  whenever  he  started  off 
upon  a  trail,  you  might  rely  upon  it,  with  perfect  confi- 
dence, that  the  game  was  before  you. 

The  three  hunters  thought  no  longer  of  looking  for 
the  bear  anywhere  else  than  before  the  snout  of  Fritz  ; 
and,  therefore,  the  chase  became  simplified  to  keeping 
the  hound  in  view.  The  nature  of  the  ground — here 
covered  with  blocks  of  loose  stone,  there  with  huge  sta- 
lagmites— prevented  the  dog  from  making  rapid  progress. 
The  bear  had  often  doubled  and  halted,  no  doubt  hav- 
ing some  difficulty  himself  in  making  way  in  the  dark- 
ness ;  and  this  doubling  caused  much  delay  to  Fritz ;  so 
much,  that  the  torch-bearers  could  generally  keep  him 
in  sight. 

Now  and  again,  he  became  lost  to  view ;  and  then 
there  was  a  halt,  and  some  moments  of  indecision,  which 
were  ended  only  by  the  long  howl  of  the  hound  echo- 
ing through  the  cavern,  and  guiding  them  to  his  where- 
abouts. 

You  will  be  surprised  that  they  should  at  any  time 
have  lost  the  chase.  You  will  fancy  that,  by  keeping 
on,  they  must  overtake  Fritz  in  time,  or  meet  him  re- 
turning. 

Such  might  have  been  true,  had  there  been  only  one 
passage  through  this  stupendous  cavern ;  but,  instead 
of  one,  they  saw  scores  of  vaulted  aisles  forking  at 
intervals,  and  traversing  in  very  different  directions. 
They  had  long  since  turned  both  to  the  right  and  the 
left — more  than  once  turned — without  any  other  guide 
than  the  baying  of  the  hound,  or  the  view  of  his  yellow 
body,  as  he  scrambled  along  the  trail.  An  immense 


BEAR-HUNT   BY  TORCH-LIGHT.  318 

cavern  it  was,  full  of  ways,  and  passages,  and  halls,  and 
chambers ;  many  of  them  so  like  each  other,  that  the 
hunters  could  not  help  thinking  they  were  running  in  a 
maze,  and  going  repeatedly  over  the  same  ground ! 

By  this  time  Karl  had  begun  to  reflect,  and  his  re- 
flection was,  that  they  were  proceeding  rashly.  Certain 
ideas  were  rising  in  his  mind — ideas  somewhat  unde- 
fined— but  one  among  the  rest  was,  that,  going  as  they 
were,  without  taking  either  "bearings  or  distances," 
they  might  get  lost ! 

Before  he  had  time  to  call  his  companions  to  a  halt 
and  take  some  deliberation  about  the  matter,  a  peculiar 
noise  struck  upon  their  ears — a  noise  that  was  easily 
recognized  as  being  made  by  the  united  voices  of  two 
angry  animals — a  dog  and  a  bear. 

Beyond  a  doubt  it  was  Bruin  and  Fritz — beyond  a 
doubt  they  were  "  in  grips  ! " 


314  LOST    IN   THE    CAVE. 


CHAPTER   LVI. 

LOST    IN   THE    CAVE. 

THE  scene  of  their  encounter  was  at  no  great  dis- 
tance— about  twenty  yards  off;  and,  guided  by 'the  loud 
growling  and  "  worrying,"  the  hunters  easily  directed 
themselves  towards  the  spot.  After  stumbling  over 
stalagmites,  and  now  and  then  hitting  their  heads 
against  the  projecting  points  of  the  stalactites,  they  ar- 
rived upon  the  ground ;  and  the  glare  of  the  torches 
was  thrown  upon  two  animals — a  dog  and  a  bear.  They 
were  near  the  middle  of  an  immense  open  hall,  or 
chamber  of  the  cavern.  Both  were  in  fighting  atti- 
tudes ;  the  bear  standing  upon  the  flat  top  of  a  rock — 
about  three  feet  above  the  surrounding  level — and  the 
dog  assailing  his  legs,  now  on  one  side  of  the  rock,  and 
now  upon  the  other.  The  bear  was  defending  himself 
with  his  huge  paws ;  and  at  intervals  flung  the  forepart 
of  his  body  downward,  with  the  design  of  seizing  the 
hound  in  his  hug. 

Fritz  well  knew  the  danger  of  being  embraced  in  the 
fore-arms  of  a  bear,  and  therefore  made  his  attacks  from 
behind;  springing  up  at  the  hind-quarters  of  Bruin, 
and  biting  him  in  the  hams.  To  avoid  these  assaults 
upon  his  rear,  the  bear  kept  turning  round  and  round, 
as  though  he  was  spinning  about  upon  a  pivot ! 


LOST   EN"   THE    CAVE. 

It  was  altogether  a  laughable  sight  to  witness  the 
curious  contest  between  the  two  quadrupeds,  and  had 
the  hunters  been  pursuing  the  bear  for  mere  amuse- 
ment, they  would  have  permitted  the  fight  to  go  on  for 
some  time  without  interfering  in  it.  But  amusement 
.  was  just  then  out  of  the  question.  The  fat  of  Bruin 
was  a  thing  of  far  more  importance ;  "and  now  that  the 
hunters  had  become  aware  of  the  vast  size  and  endless 
labyrinths  of  the  cavern,  they  perceived  that  it  was 
quite  possible  in  such  a  place  to  lose  both  the  bear  and 
his  fat.  He  might  have  escaped  them  as  easily  as  if 
he  were  in  the  open  woods. 

With  these  ideas,  therefore,  they  were  only  too 
anxious  to  put  an  end  to  the  struggle,  and  secure  the 
game. 

The  bear  could  not  have  offered  them  a  better  op- 
portunity. His  position  upon  the  rock  rendered  him  a 
conspicuous  mark,  both  for  the  bullets  of  the  guns  and 
the  arrows  of  Ossaroo.  Besides,  there  was  no  danger 
of  wounding  Fritz,  if  good  aim  was  taken  by  the  marks- 
men. 

Good  aim  was  taken  —  a  couple  of  loud  reports 
echoed  through  the  cave — one  of  Ossaroo's  arrows 
whistled,  and  penetrated  the  thick  shaggy  skin — and 
the  next  moment  the  huge  black  mass  rolled  down  from 
the  rock,  and  lay  back  uppermost,  kicking  his  paws  about 
in  the  last  throes  of  death.  Then  Fritz  leaped  upon 
his  upturned  breast,  seized  the  white  throat  between 
his  jaws,  and  choked  and  worried  at  it  till  the  last 
breath  was  squeezed  out  of  poor  Bruin's  body,  that  the 
uext  moment  lay  quite  limp  and  motionless. 

Fritz  was  now  scolded  off,  and  the  torches  were  held 
14* 


816  LOST    IN    THE    CAVE. 

near,  in  order  that  the  hunters  might  examine  the  game 
they  had  killed.  A  splendid  specimen  the  bear  was — 
one  of  the  biggest  and  fattest  of  his  kind  ;  and  no  doubt 
would  yield  them  a  large  amount  of  the  precious 
"  grease." 

They  had  scarcely  made  this  reflection  when  another 
of  far  different  character  forced  itself  upon  their  minds, 
and  compelled  them  to  stand  gazing  at  each  other  with 
looks  of  mute  inquiry.  Each  waited  for  one  of  the 
others  to  speak ;  and  although  no  one  had  yet  said  a 
word,  all  equally  felt  that  they  were  in  a  dilemma. 

What  dilemma  ?  you  will  ask.  The  game  had  been 
secured — what  difficulty  would  there  be  in  dragging  it 
out  of  the  cave,  and  afterwards  taking  it  ho^*»  to  their 
hut? 

All  this  may  appear  easy  enough  to  you,  because  you 
do  not  yet  understand  the  situation  in  which  the  hunters 
were  placed — you  do  not  comprehend  why  they  stood 
gazing  upon  each  other  with  troubled  looks. 

Why  they  did  so  was  simply  this  : — while  examining 
the  carcass  of  the  bear,  they  observed  that  their  torches 
were  burnt  out !  Not  quite  to  the  ends,  it  is  true ;  but 
BO  near  that  they  could  not  be  depended  on  to  light 
them  a  score  of  yards.  They  were  already  flickering 
and  burning  dimly — in  a  few  seconds  more  they  would 
be  quite  extinguished  ;  and  what  then  ? 

Ay,  what  then  ?  that  was  the  thought  that  was 
troubling  them — that  it  was  that  caused  them  to  stand 
looking  anxiously  towards  one  another. 

Even  they  themselves  did  not  fully  comprehend  the 
peril  of  their  situation.  They  saw  that  they  were  going 
to  be  left  in  darkness — the  perfect  darkness  of  a  dun- 


LOST   IN   THE    CAVE.  817 

geon — but  it  had  not  yet  occurred  to  them  that  they 
might  never  again  see  the  light !  That  appalling 
thought  had  not  yet  shaped  itself  in  their  minds—- 
they only  believed  that  the  want  of  torches  would  put 
them  to  much  inconvenience — they  would  have  great 
trouble,  and  perhaps  difficulty,  in  finding  their  way  out 
of  the  cave,  and  getting  the  bear  along  with  them— 
they  might  first  have  to  grope  their  way  out,  and  then 
get  fresh  torches,  and  return  for  the  game  ;  and  all  this 
would  take  a  good  deal  of  time,  and  give  them  a  large 
amount  of  trouble ;  but  never  mind  that — the  prize 
they  had  obtained  in  the  fat  of  the  bear,  and  his  fine 
hide — which  would  make  a  grand  winter  robe — would 
repay  them  for  all. 

Ha !  it  was  only  after  their  torches  had  gone  quite 
out,  and  they  were  left  in  total  darkness — only  after 
they  had  groped  and  groped,  and  wandered  about  for 
hours — now  sprawling  over  loose  rocks,  now  tumbling 
clown  into  deep  clefts— only  after  they  had  gone  through 
all  this,  and  still  saw  no  light — no  sign  by  which  they 
could  even  guess  at  their  whereabouts,  that  they  be- 
came fully  alive  to  the  peril  of  their  situation,  and 
began  to  experience  the  awful  apprehension  already 
expressed — that  they  might  never  again  see  the  light ! 

And  such  in  reality  was  their  fear,  when,  after  hours 
spent  in  fruitless  wandering,  they  stood  holding  each 
other's  hands,  crouching  and  cowering  together  in  the 
midst  of  that  amorphcus  darkness  ! 


818  A   RAMBLE    IN   THE    DARK. 


CHAPTER   LVII. 

A   RAMBLE   IN   THE    DARK. 

THEIR  dread  was  not  at  all  unreasonable,  consider* 
ing  the  vast  extent  of  the  cavern — considering  the  dis- 
tance which  they  knew  they  had  penetrated — consider- 
ing the  various  devious  and  like  ways  through  which 
they  had  passed  while  in  pursuit  of  the  bear — and, 
above  all,  considering  the  absolute  darkness  that  now 
reigned  around  them.  Of  course  they  could  see  noth- 
ing, not  even  each  other ;  not  one  of  them  could  have 
seen  the  nose  upon  his  own  face,  had  he  been  looking 
for  it. 

Place  yourself  in  the  midst  of  complete  darkness, 
and  you  will  wonder  how  little  progress  you  can  make 
in  any  direction.  Indeed,  you  cannot  follow  a  right 
line  even  were  there  no  impediment  in  your  way. 

After  you  have  advanced  a  few  steps,  your  face  will 
begin  to  turn  in  a  new  direction,  and  perhaps  keep 
turning,  until  you  have  gone  round  the  four  cardinal 
points !  You  need  not  be  told  this ;  "blind  man's  buff" 
will  have  imparted  to  you  the  idea  long  ere  now.  You 
will  remember  that,  after  having  made  a  turn  or  two, 
you  could  not  tell  to  which  side  of  the  room  you  were 
facing,  unless  you  laid  your  hand  upon  the  piano,  or 


A    RAMBLE    IN    THE    DARK.  319 

some  piece  of  furniture,  and  recognized  it  by  the 
touch. 

Now  just  like  the  blind  man  in  the  game,  so  the  tlree 
were  situated;  with  the  exception  that  they  had  no 
piano — no  furniture — no  object  of  any  kind — to  guide 
them.  They  knew  not  where  to  turn — they  knew  not 
which  way  to  advance — which  way  to  go  back. 

For  many  minutes,  they  stood  paralyzed  by  the  con- 
fusion. As  already  stated,  they  held  each  other  by  the 
hand,  and  in  this  way  they  stood.  Each  feared  to  let 
the  others  go,  lest  he  might  lose  them !  Of  course  this 
was  but  an  idle  fear,  as  their  voices  would  enable  them 
to  keep  together ;  but  there  was  something  so  awe-in- 
spiring in  their  situation,  that  they  all  felt  childish  and 
helpless,  and  they  needed  the  support  of  one  another. 

After  remaining  at  rest  a  while,  they  started  off 
afresh ;  holding  each  other  by  the  hands,  as  they 
moved.  This  precaution  was  more  necessary  while 
they  were  in  motion  than  at  rest.  They  dreaded  that 
one  of  their  number  might  fall  over  some  high  steep  or 
into  a  deep  hole  ;  and  while  thus  clinging  together,  the 
danger  would  be  less — that  is,  if  all  three  did  not  go 
over  together. 

For  several  hours  they  wandered  about,  and,  accord- 
ing to  their  own  belief,  must  have  walked  many  miles  ; 
but  of  course  their  progress  was  slow,  as  they  had  to 
feel  their  way  at  every  step.  They  grew  tired  with 
the  effort  they  had  to  make,  and  at  intervals  sat  down 
to  rest  themselves  ;  but  their  feelings  would  not  permit 
them  to  pause  long  ;  and  they  would  up  to  their  feet 
again,  and  scramble  on  as  before. 

For  many  hours — and  many  miles,  say  they — they 


520  A    RAMBLE    IN    THE    DARK. 

walked,  but  saw  no  ray  of  light  to  cheer  them — saw 
nothing,  felt  nothing  that  they  could  recognize.  At 
times  they  thought  they  must  be  far  into  the  mountain 
—perhaps  miles  from  the  entrance  of  the  cavern  ;  at 
other  times  they  fancied  they  had  gone  several  times 
through  the  same  passage ;  and  once  or  twice  they 
knew  they  had  done  so,  by  recognizing  the  rocks  over 
which  they  had  passed. 

This  gave  them  a  hope  that  in  time  they  might  get 
acquainted  with  the  different  turnings  and  passages, — 
and  that  would  have  been  possible  enough ;  but  it  would 
have  taken  a  long  time,  and  what  were  they  to  subsist 
upon  while  acquiring  this  knowledge?  They  thought 
of  this,  and  saw  at  once  the  foolishness  of  the  hope 
they  had  conceived. 

The  dog  Fritz  moved  along,  sometimes  before,  some- 
times by  their  side,  and  sometimes  in  the  rear.  He 
kept  silent,  seemingly  as  much  frightened  as  they. 
They  could  tell  he  was  there,  by  hearing  at  intervals 
the  scratching  of  his  claws  upon  the  rocks,  when  some 
boulder  lay  in  the  way,  and  compelled  him  to  scramble 
over  it.  What  could  Fritz  do  more  than  they  ?  In 
such  darkness  he  could  not  see  his  nose  any  more  than 
they?  No — but  he  could  make  use  of  that  nose  to 
direct  himself,  which  was  more  than  any  of  his  masters 
could  do. 

"  Ha  !  "  shouted  Caspar,  as  this  idea  passed  through 
his  mind.  "  Ha,  brother !  Ossaroo !  why  might  not 
Fritz  guide  us  ?  Why  might  he  not  scent  his  way  out 
of  this  horrid  dungeon  ?  Surely  he  must  be  as  tired  of 
it  as  we  are  ! " 

"  Lett  us  try  what  may  be  done,"  rejoined   Karl,  by 


A    RAMBLE    IN    THE    DARK.  321 

his  tone  showing  that  he  had  no  great  hope  in  the  ex- 
periment. "  Call  him  up,  Caspar !  He  knows  you 
best/' 

Caspar  addressed  the  dog  by  name,  adding  a  few 
coaxing  words,  and  in  an  instant  Fritz  was  by  his  side. 

"  How  shall  we  manage ?  Leave  him  to  himself?" 
inquired  Caspar. 

"  I  fear  he  will  stand  still,  and  not  attempt  to  go  ahead 
of  us,"  replied  Karl. 

"  We  can  try  him." 

And  as  Caspar  made  this  suggestion,  all  stood  silent 
and  listening. 

They  stood  a  long  while  to  give  the  dog  a  fair  trial, 
but  he  knew  not  what  they  wanted,  and  he  remained 
patiently  beside  them  without  manifesting  any  disposi- 
tion to  leave.  The  experiment  was  a  failure. 

"  Now,"  suggested  Karl,  "  let  us  urge  him  forward 
and  follow  after — perhaps  he  wjll  lead  us  in  that  way." 

Fritz  was  now  commanded  to  advance,  and  obeyed 
the  command — for  they  could  hear  him  start  off  "with  a 
slight  whimper ;  but  to  their  chagrin  they  found  that 
they  could  not  tell  in  what  direction  he  had  gone. 
Had  he  been  running  on  the  scent  of  some  animal,  his 
occasional  baying  would  have  served  to  guide  them,  as 
it  had  done  while  they  were  chasing  the  bear.  Now, 
however,  the  dog  ran  without  noise  ;  and  although  they 
could  hear  an  occasional  scrape  of  his  claws,  yet  it  was 
not  sufficiently  frequent  or  continuous  to  guide  them. 
The  experiment  again  failed,  and  Fritz  was  whistled 
back. 

But  it  was  not  without  result.  Like  many  other  fail- 
ures, it  led  to  reflection  and  a  rearrangement  of  the  ma- 


322  A    RAMBLE    IN    THE    DARK. 

chinery.  A  better  plan  soon  offered  itself  to  the  quick 
wit  of  Caspar  ;  and  Ossaroo  had  been  thinking  of  some- 
thing similar  when  he  cried  out, — 

"  Tie  string  to  ee  tail ! " 

"  No,"  replied  Caspar,  "  not  to  his  tail,  for  then  ha 
would  not  go  forward ;  but  let  us  hold  him  in  a  leash 
with  the  string  round  his  neck,  in  a  regular  way.  That 
will  be  better,  I  warrant." 

No  sooner  said  than  done.  Thongs  and  belts  were 
loosed  from  powder-horns  and  pouches;  a  leash  was 
constructed  and  fastened  round  the  neck  of  the  dog,  and 
he  was  then  hunted  forward  as  before. 

Caspar  handled  the  straps,  and  the  others  followed, 
guided  by  Caspar's  voice. 

In  this  order  they  had  scrambled  along  for  a  hundred 
yards  or  more,  when  the  dog  began  to  whimper,  and 
then  to  bay,  as  if  going  upon  a  trail ;  and  in  a  moment 
or  two  after,  he  came,  all  of  a  sudden,  to  a  stop. 

Caspar  felt  by  his  strong  pulling  on  the  leash,  that 
the  dog  had  sprung  forward  and  seized  something.  He 
stooped  down  and  felt  before  him.  Instead  of  the  hard 
cold  rocks,  his  fingers  came  in  contact  with  a  mass  of 
long  shaggy  hair. 

Alas !  their  hopes  were  dispelled.  Instead  of  con- 
ducting to  the  mouth  of  the  cave,  Fritz  had  only  brought 
them  back  to  the  carcass  of  the  bear  ! 


CAVERN-LIFE.  323 


CHAPTER  LVHL 

CAVERN-LIFE.  * 

, 

THEY  were  all  filled  with  disappointment,  and  par- 
ticularly that  the  dog,  having  arrived  at  the  spot  where 
the  bear  had  been  killed,  would  go  no  farther.  Drive 
him  as  they  would  by  commands,  or  coax  him  by  words 
of  encouragement,  he  would  not  part  from  the  carcass. 
Even  when  carried  off  to  some  distance,  and  let  go,  he 
always  drew  Caspar  back  to  the  same  spot.  It  was 
very  vexatious. 

So  thought  they  at  first ;  but  after  a  little  reflection, 
they  began  to  think  better  of  it ;  and  to  recognize  in 
this  incident  something  more  than  chance.  Karl  espe- 
cially thought  so,  and  pointed  out  to  his  companions  that 
the  hand  of  Providence  had  to  do  with  it ;  and  that  that 
same  hand  would  yet  conduct  them  safely  out  of  the 
dismal  dungeon  into  which  they  had  so  imprudently 
ventured. 

Karl's  words  had  a  cheering  effect;  for  he  pointed 
out  how  fortunate  it  was  for  them  that  they  had  once 
more  found  the  carcass.  But  for  that  they  should  have 
had  nothing  to  eat,  and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  would 
have  soon  perished  of  hunger. 

Now,  however,  that  the  bear  was  found,  they  could 


324  CAVERN-LIFE. 

subsist  upon  his  flesh  for  days  ;  and  during  one  of  these 
days  they  might  succeed  in  reaching  the  entrance. 
They  would  take  care  not  to  lose  the  knowledge  of  the 
place  where  the  carcass  lay ;  and  whatever  excursion 
they  might  make  from  that  spot,  they  should  always  ar- 
range some  clue  by  which  they  might  return  to  it. 

Fortunately  for  them  there  was  water  in  the  cavern. 
In  many  places  it  dripped  from  the  rocks  in  sufficient 
quantity  to  give  them  as  much  as  they  wanted  for  drink  ; 
and  not  far  off  they  had  crossed  a  little  rivulet  that  ran 
down  the  bottom  of  one  of  the  great  galleries.  This 
they  knew  they  could  find  again  ;  and,  consequently  they 
felt  no  apprehensions  on  the  score  of  water. 

It  was  a  question,  then,  how  long  they  would  be  in 
finding  the  entrance,  and  how  long  they  could  live  upon 
the  flesh  of  the  bear. 

The  finding  of  Bruin's  carcass  had  considerably  bet- 
tered their  prospects  ;  and  as  they  gathered  around  it  to 
dinner,  they  felt  more  cheerful  than  they  had  done  since 
the  moment  when  they  had  laid  it  low. 

As  they  ate,  it  was  dark  enough  around  them  to  have 
called  the  meal  a  supper ;  and  it  was  long  enough  since 
they  had  eaten  their  breakfast — though  they  could  not 
guess  how  long — but  as  they  had  eaten  nothing  since 
breakfast,  they  styled  this  first  meal  upon  the  bear-meat 
their  dinner. 

No  dinner  or  supper  was  ever  cooked  like  that — it 
was  not  cooked  at  all !  for  they  had  no  fire  wherewith 
to  cook  it. 

They  were  not  squeamish.  A  very  long  interval  had 
transpired  since  they  had  eaten  their  slight  breakfast 
Karl  and  Caspar  had  refrained  from  the  uncooked  viand 


CAVERN-LIFE.  325 

until  their  appetite  could  resist  no  longer  ;  and  then  the 
raw  flesh  of  the  bear  became  palatable  enough.  It  was 
supper  time  with  Ossaroo.  His  stomach  had  more  easily 
got  over  its  scruples,  and  he  had  bolted  his  dinner  long, 
long  ago ;  so  that  when  the  others  sat  down  to  their 
first  meal,  Ossaroo  was  able  to  join  them  at  his  second. 

Both  Karl  and  Caspar  ate  heartily  enough, — quite 
R3  heartily  as  if  a  chandelier  with  its  wax-lights  had 
been  sparkling  over  their  heads.  Perhaps  the  absence 
of  light  was  a  circumstance  in  their  favor.  The  huge 
paws — those  "  titbits  "  of  the  bear's  flesh — constituted 
their  dinner ;  and  hunters  will  tell  you  that,  boiled, 
roasted,  or  raw,  a  bear's  paw  is  not  bad  eating. 

When  they  had  finished  their  meal,  all  three  groped 
their  way  to  where  they  heard  the  trickling  of  water. 

They  found  a  place  where  it  oozed  in  a  rapid  and 
continuous  dripping  through  the  rocks ;  and,  applying 
their  mouths  to  this  subterranean  fountain,  they  were 
enabled  in  a  few  moments  to  slake  their  thirst. 

They  then  returned  to  where  they  had  dined ;  and, 
being  now  much  wearied  with  their  long-continued  ex- 
ertions, they  stretched  themselves  upon  the  rocks  with 
the  intention  of  having  some  sleep.  Though  their  bed 
was  a  hard  one,  it  was  not  cold  ;  for  in  the  interior  of 
great  caverns  it  is  never  cold.  There  the  temperature 
is  more  equable  than  that  of  the  atmosphere  without — 
being  cooler  in  summer  and  warmer  in  winter,  so  that 
variety  is  scarcely  known — at  all  events,  the  extremes 
of  heat  and  cold'  are  never  felt.  This  is  the  case  with 
the  Mammoth  Cave  of  Kentucky,  and  other  large 
caverns  ;  and  on  this  account  it  has  been,  thought  that 
persons  suffering  from  pulmonary  complaints  might 


326  CAVERN-LIFE. 

derive  benefit  by  dwelling  in  caves.  There  are  many 
such  patients  who  make  their  home  in  the  Mammoth ; 
and  where  a  commodious  hotel  enables  them  to  live  in 
comfort,  and  even  luxury !  It  is  possible  enough  that 
the  mild  and  equable  temperature  that  exists  under 
ground  may  enable  the  victim  of  consumption  to  pro- 
long life  for  a  considerable  time :  but  it  is  doubtful 
whether  any  radical  cure  can  be  effected  in  this  way ; 
and  the  unfortunate  sufferer,  once  he  emerges  from  his 
subterranean  dwelling,  will  be  in  as  much  danger  from 
the  insidious  disease  as  before. 

Little  did  Karl,  Caspar,  and  Ossaroo,  care  for  the 
mild  atmosphere  that  surrounded  them  in  the  cavern. 
They  would  gladly  have  exchanged  it  for  the  hottest 
country  in  the  torrid  zone,  or  the  coldest  spot  in  all  the 
Arctic  regions.  Biting  mosquitos  in  the  former,  or 
biting  frost  in  the  latter,  would  have  been  more  wel- 
come than  that  mild  and  gentle  climate  that  surrounded 
them — that,  gloomy  atmosphere,  where  sun  had  never 
shone,  and  where  snow  had  never  fallen. 

Notwithstanding  their  anxiety  of  mind,  their  weari- 
ness at  length  overcame  them,  and  all  three  fell  fast 
asleep. 


EXPLORATION    OF    THE    CAVE.  327 


CHAPTER  LIX. 

EXPLORATION    OF   THE    CAVE. 

THEY  slept  a  good  long  while,  though,  whether  it 
was  by  night  or  by  day,  they  had  no  means  of  judging. 
They  could  only  guess  at  it,  by  remembering  how  much 
time  had  transpired  since  they  first  entered  the  cave  ; 
but  to  show  how  little  trust  can  be  placed  in  any  con- 
jectures of  this  sort,  they  differed  from  one  another  in 
their  estimates  full  twelve  hours  ! 

KarJ  thought  they  had  been  wandering  about  nearly 
two  days  and  a  night ;  while  the  others  believed  the 
time  not  so  long  by  twelve  hours  at  least. 

Karl  adduced  a  reason  for  his  belief — the  ravenous 
appetite  which  they  had  acquired,  and  which  must  have 
taken  a  long  time  to  grow  upon  them  ;  moreover,  they 
had  slept  so  long  that  he  thought  it  must  be  in  the 
night-time — the  natural  time  of  rest,  which  the  nerves 
would  understand  without  any  clock  to  guide  them. 
Karl  admitted  that  his  second  reason  was  somewhat 
lame,  since,  having  missed  one  night  of  sleep,  their 
nerves  on  the  day  following  would  not  be  very  nice 
about  what  hour  they  should  feel  inclined  towards 
slumber. 

It  is  probable,  however,  that  Karl  was  right  in  his 


328  EXPLORATION    OF    THE    CAVE. 

conjecture.  They  had  been  long  hours  wandering  to 
and  fro,  and  had  rested  many  times.  The  feeling  of 
horrid  anxiety  under  which  they  had  been  suffering 
always  impelled  them  to  press  on ;  and  no  wonder  they 
had  lost  all  definite  recollection  of  the  distance"  they 
had  gone,  or  the  time  thus  fruitlessly  spent.  It  had 
taken  them  a  good  while  to  get  the  ladder  in  place ; 
and  the  first  day  had  been  far  spent '  before  they  were 
ready  to  penetrate  the  cave.  It  was,  therefore,  quite 
probable  that  their  first  sleep  had  been  during  the 
second  night,  after  entering  their  gloomy  chamber. 

Whether  or  not  they  had  slept  long  and  soundly 
enough — though  not  without  troubled  dreams — in  which 
they  had  encountered  bears,  fierce  shaggy  yak-bulls, 
deep  dangerous  pits  into  which  they  were  about  to  fall, 
and  high  cliffs  they  were  trying  in  vain  to  climb — it 
was  quite  natural  they  should  dream  of  such  things. 

It  was  the  awaking  that  was  most  unnatural.  In- 
stead of  a  bright  sunshine  to  greet  their  eyes,  or  the 
soft  blue  light  of  morning,  they  saw  nought — all  around 
was  gloom.  Instead  of  the  music  of  birds,  or  even  the 
cheering  sounds  of  active  life,  they  heard  nought.  All 
around  was  the  silence  of  the  tomb  ! 

A  tomb  it  might  yet  be  to  them — for  a  short  while, 
perhaps,  a  living  tomb ;  but,  sooner  or  later,  a  tomb  for 
their  dead  bodies — a  sepulchre  for  their  bones  ! 

Such  were  their  reflections  "on  awaking.  Their 
dreams  while  asleep  were  even  less  horrid  than  the 
reality  to  which  they  awoke  ! 

If  the  sense  of  sleep  regards  not  the  absence  of 
light,  still  less  is  the  appetite  of  hunger  affected  by 
it.  Once  more  the  bear's  paws  were  drawn  upon  for 


EXPLORATION    OF    THE    CAVE.  329 

a  meal,  and  afforded  it  without  boil  or  broil,  bread  or 
salt. 

As  soon  as  they  had  eaten  to  their  satisfaction,  they 
rose  to  their  feet,  and  set  about  the  work  which  KarJ 
had  already  traced  out  in  his  thoughts.  Of  course, 
before  going  about  it  he  had  fully  communicated  his 
plans  to  his  companions. 

They  were  to  make  excursions  in  every  direction 
from  the  spot  where  the  bear  had  been  killed.  There 
were  many  galleries  leading  from  the  place — they  had 
noticed  that  while  their  torches  were  yet  burning.  All 
these  they  designed  to  explore,  one  after  another.  The 
explorations  were  at  first  to  be  for  short  distances,  until 
they  had  made  themselves  familiar  with  the  passage 
extending  in  some  one  particular  direction.  This  they 
would  accomplish  by  feeling  the  rocks  on  either  side, 
until  they  became  thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  pro- 
tuberances, or  other  marks  that  could  be  used  as  guides. 
If  none  existed,  they  would  make  them,  by  piling  up 
stones  at  such  places,  or  chipping  a  piece  from  the 
stalactites  with  the  hatchet.  Their  design,  in  effect, 
was  to  "  blaze  "  the  passages,  so  that  they  would  know 
them  again,  just  as  a  woodman  marks  his  way  through 
the  pathless  forest. 

It  was  altogether  an  ingenious  idea,  and  one  that  with 
*ime  and  patience  promised  success.  Indeed,  it  seemed 
the  only  plan  that  held  out  a  hope  beyond  mere  chance 
— for  amidst  so  many  devious  ways,  to  have  proceeded 
without  some  plan  would  have  been  to  trust  to  chance, 
and  that  they  had  tried  already. 

They  well  knew  that  to  carry  out  their  design  would 
require  both  time  and  patience ;  but  by  this,  all  three 


330  EXPLORATION    OP    THE    CAVE. 

were  well  drilled  in  the  lessons  of  patience.  The 
bridge-building  had  been  a  school  for  them.  It  might 
not  take  much  j;ime,  but  it  might;  and  for  either  result 
had  they  made  their  minds  ready. 

In  all  probability,  however,  they  might  be  long  be- 
fore they  should  set  their  eyes  upon  a  ray  of  the  sun's 
light — before  they  should  see  that  bright  disk  of  the 
cavern's  mouth,  that  they  had  scarce  looked  at  while 
leaving  it  behind  them. 

It  was  their  intention  then,  first,  to  take  one  particular 
direction,  and  thoroughly  explore  that  before  penetrating 
into  any  other.  When  the  first  should  be  traversed, 
either  to  its  termination,  or  to  such  a  length  as  might 
influence  them  in  believing  they  were  in  the  wrong  way, 
they  would  then  leave  it,  and  set  to  exploring  some 
other.  Sooner  or  later,  they  believed  that  this  would 
bring  them  into  the  passage  that  would  conduct  them 
out  of  their  gigantic  prison. 

Before  setting  about  the  execution  of  their  plan,  they 
once  more  made  trial  of  Fritz,  as  upon  the  day  before ; 
but  the  dog  would  not  part  from  the  spot ;  and  though, 
encouraged  by  the  voice  of  Caspar,  he  would  beat 
about  for  a  certain  space — it  always  ended  by  his  re- 
turning to  the  carcass  of  the  bear. 

As  soon  as  they  became  convinced  that  Fritz  would 
not  guide  them,  they  released  him  from  the  string ;  and 
then,  in  real  earnest,  set  about  carrying  out  the  design 
of  Karl. 

Their  mode  of  proceeding  was  quite  ingenious.  They 
groped  about  until  they  found  a  large  passage  that  led 
from  the  chamber  or  opening  in  which  they  were.  This 
gallery  they  resolved  to  explore  first. 


EXPLORATION    OF   THE    CAVE.  331 

Lest  by  any  mistake  they  might  not  find  their  way 
back,  one  always  remained  at  a  certain  point ;  while 
the  other  two  went  ahead — stopping  at  intervals  to 
blaze  their  way.  Of  course  should  the  two  who  acted 
as  pioneers  make  a  wrong  turn,  so  as  not  to  know  the 
route  back,  the  voice  of  the  third  would  at  once  guide 
them. 

In  this  manner  they  proceeded  without  much  diffi- 
culty, though  with  great  slowness.  You  will  fancy  they 
might  have  gone  fast  enough,  their  retreat  being  thus 
secured  for  them.  But  there  were  many  obstacles  to 
prevent  a  rapid  advance.  Each  lateral  passage  they 
came  to — and  there  were  numbers  of  these — had  to  be 
marked  for  future  examination,  and  the  mark  had  to  be 
made  distinct  and  recognizable — this  operation  some- 
times requiring  a  considerable  time  to  effect.  They  had 
also  to  make  their  blazes  at  short  intervals,  so  that  these 
might  be  the  more  easily  found  upon  their  return. 
Another  impediment  was  found  hi  the  clambering  over 
sharp  boulders,  and  getting  across  clefts  that  everywhere 
intercepted  their  path. 

Ay,  slowly  and  with  great  caution  were  they  com- 
pelled to  make  their  advance,  and  when  night  cam&— 
that  is,  when  they  had  grown  wearied  and  hungry,  and 
wanted  food  and  rest — they  calculated  they  had  not 
preceded  above  half-a-mile  from  their  place  of  de- 
parture. Of  course  no  light  had  cheered  them  through- 
out those  long  working  hours ;  but  for  all  that  they  re- 
turned to  the  resting-place  with  their  hearts  still  buoyed 
up  with  hope.  To-morrow, — or  the  morrow  after,  or 
still  another  morrow,  what  mattered  it  ? — they  felt  high 
confidence  that  on  some  morrow  they  would  look  once 
more  upon  the  sun. 

15 


832  PRESERVING    THE    BEAR*S    MEAT. 


CHAPTER  LX. 

PRESERVING    THE   BEARDS    MEAT. 

THERE  was  one  thing,  however,  about  which  they 
were  apprehensive,  and  that  was  about  their  larder—- 
how long  would  it  last  ?  The  bear  was  large .  and  fat, 
they  could  tell  by  the  u  feel "  of  him ;  and  if  they  drew 
upon  the  carcass  for  moderate  rations,  it  would  hold  out 
for  many  days  ;  but  then  how  was  the  meat  to  be  pre- 
served? Lying  as  it  was — still  unskinned — it  must 
soon  become  unfit  for  food,  though  not  so  soon  as  in  the 
open  air ;  for  meat  will  keep  much  longer  in  a  cave,-— 
that  is,  if  it  be  a  very  deep  one,  than  it  will  when  ex- 
posed to  the  full  light  of  the  sun. 

This  is  easily  explained.  The  principle  of  decom- 
position exists  in  the  atmosphere  itself,  as  is  well  known 
to  every  one  who  deals  in  the  hermetically-sealed  air- 
tight canisters  of  preserved  meats  ;  and  if  you  can  but 
remove  the  atmosphere  entirely  from  a  piece  of  fish, 
flesh,  or  vegetable,  it  is  supposed  that  it  will  keep  for 
ever! 

In  the  interior  of  a  cavern,  of  course  there  is  still 
an  atmosphere,  but  it  is  rarer  and  of  a  less  changeable 
sort,  and,  most  probably,  less  active  in  its  powers  to 
cause  decay.  Hence  it  is  that  within  the  cave  decom- 


PRESERVING    THE    BEAR'S    MEAT.  333 

position  is  slower  than  without ;  and,  indeed,  there  are 
some  caverns  where,  instead  of  being  decomposed,  the 
bodies  of  men  and  animals  have  been  found  still  re- 
taining their  proper  forms,  only  shrivelled  into  smaller 
size,  and  dried  up  like  mummies. 

Though  there  was  water  here  and  there  in  the  cav- 
ern, in  all  other  places  it  was  exceedingly  dry.  They 
could  tell  that  the  air  was  so,  because  the  rocks  felt 
dry,  and  in  some  places  there  was  dust  that  was  per- 
fectly ready  to  puff  up  at  the  touch.  They  had  noticed 
this  while  in  pursuit  of  the  bear.  Both  bear  and  dog 
had  more  than  once  been  found  enveloped  in  a  cloud  of 
dust  as  the  hunters  came  near  them  with  the  torches. 
Indeed,  they  could  tell  that  the  atmosphere  of  the  cav- 
ern was  dry  by  simply  breathing  it  in, — it  felt  dry  to 
the  throat. 

Under  the  keen  apprehension  which  they  had  lest 
the  meat  should  spoil  before  they  could  find  the  en- 
trance of  the  cave,  their  wits  were  set  to  work  to  find 
some  means  of  preserving  it.  Salt  they  had  none,  and 
therefore  pickling  was  out  of  the  question.  Had  they 
been  able  to  procure  the  material  to  make  a  fire,  they 
could  have  managed  without  salt  by  smoking  the  meat; 
but  firewood  was  just  then  as  difficult  to  be  got  at  as 
salt.  Even  without  either,  had  they  only  been  in  the 
open  air,  with  the  warm  sun  shining  down  upon  them, 
they  could  have  cured  that  bear-meat  so  that  it  would 
have  kept  good  for  months. 

Alas !  the  sun's  rays  were  as  inaccessible  as  either 
the  salt  or  the  fuel. 

Preserving  the  meat  by  any  one  of  the  three  differ- 
ent modes  of  salting,  smoking,  or  jerking,  was  alike  out 
of  their  power. 


334       PRESERVING  THE  BEAR'S  MEAT. 

Having  already  noticed  the  extreme  dryness  of  the 
atmosphere,  it  occurred  to  them  that  if  the  meat  were 
cut  into  very  thin  slices  or  strips,  and  then  hung  up,  or 
spread  out  upon  the  rocks,  it  might  not  spoil  at  once— 
at  all  events,  it  might  keep  for  a  longer  period  than  if 
suffered  to  lie  as  it  was  in  one  great  mass.  This  was 
Ossaroo's  suggestion,  and  a  good  one  it  was.  At  all 
events,  nothing  better  could  be  thought  of,  and  after 
some  consideration,  they  determined  to  act  upon  it. 

Where  were  they  to  procure  lights  ?  How  was  the 
bear  to  be  skinned  without  light  ?  How  was  the  flesh 
to  be  cut  up  and  spread  out  ? 

These  were  questions  that  did  not  present  the  slight- 
est obstacle — our  adventurers  scarce  gave  thought  to 
them.  They  had  by  this  time  almost  learnt  to  work  in 
the  darkness ;  and  as  for  the  skinning  of  the  bear,  Ossa- 
roo  could  have  performed  that  operation  if  it  had  even 
been  darker, — supposing  this  to  be  possible.  There 
was  no  difficulty  about  lights ;  and  the  shikarree,  hav- 
ing been  assisted  by  the  others  to  place  the  carcass  in 
a  proper  attitude,  set  to  work  with  the  keen  blade  of 
his  knife,  and,  almost  as  readily  as  if  a  dozen  candles 
had  been  held  by  him,  he  stripped  off  the  shaggy  hide, 
and  laid  it  back  upon  the  rocks. 

The  cutting  the  flesh  into  slices  and  strips  would  be 
easily  effected,  though  it  would  require  more  time,  and 
should  be  done  with  great  nicety.  If  not  sliced  very 
thin,  the  meat  would  be  liable  to  spoil  the  sooner. 

But  the  Hindoo  hunter  was  a  very  adept  at  this 
sort  of  thing,  and  his  skill  enabled  him  to  complete  the 
business  in  such  a  manner  that  had  his  "  griskins  "  been 
submitted  to  the  light,  no  one  could  have  told  they  had 
been  "  carved  "  in  the  darkness. 


PRESERVING    THE   BEAR*3    MEAT.  335 

The  strips,  as  they  were  cut  by  Ossaroo,  were  passed 
into  the  h,ands  of  the  others,  who  having  already  spread 
out  the  hide  with  the  hairy  side  undermost,  laid  the 
pieces  upon  it. 

As  soon  as  Ossaroo  had  stripped  the  bones  pretty 
clean,  it  was  then  time  to  dispose  of  the  flesh.  A 
question  now  arose  as  to  whether  it  would  be  better 
to  spread  the  pieces  out  upon  the  rock  or  hang  them 
up  upon  lines. 

Decidedly  better  to  hang  them  up,  thought  Ossaroo  ; 
and  the  others  agreed  with  him.  They  would  dry 
sooner  in  that  way,  it  was  thought ;  besides,  as  Caspar 
suggested,  they  would  be  out  of  the  way  of  Fritz,  who, 
if  not  looked  after,  might  steal  a  march  upon  them, 
and  devour  half  the  meat^fat  a  single  meal.  By  all 
means  they  should  be  hung  out  of  his  reach. 

But  how  was  this  to  be  accomplished  ?  Where  were 
the  ropes  and  lines  to  be  obtained  ?  They  had  neither 
poles  to  serve  as  uprights,  nor  ropes  to  be  stretched 
between  them.  True,  there  was  a  long  piece  of  cord 
in  the  possession  of  Ossaroo,  which  he  had  manufac- 
tured from  the  Indian  hemp,  while  making  his  fish-net; 
but  this  would  not  be  enough.  It  would  take  many 
yards  of  cord  to  carry  such  a  quantity  of  meat.  What 
was  to  be  done  ? 

"  Cut  the  hide  into  strips ! "  cried  Caspar,  in  answer 
to  the  question. 

The  very  thing  ;  and  no  sooner  suggested  than  car- 
ried into  effect. 

The  sliced  meat  was  removed — the  raw  hide  was 
stretched  out,  and  cut  into  thongs  of  about  an  inch  in 
thickness,  and  these  being  knotted  together,  a  rope  was 


336  PRESERVING   THE    BEAR'S    MEAT 

Boon  made  that  reached  from  side  to  side  of  the  great 
chamber.  The  ends  of  this  were  fastened  to  the  rocks ; 
one  was  looped  around  a  jutting  point,  and  the  opposite 
was  held  by  being  placed  upon  a  little  shelf  with  a 
heavy  stone  on  top  of  it ;  and  thus  a  line,  something 
after  the  fashion  of  a  clothes-line,  was  carried  across 
the  chamber. 

When  they  had  tried  its  strength,  and  were  con- 
vinced that  it  would  serve  the  purpose  intended,  they 
carried  the  meat  slice  by  slice,  and  laid  it  carefully 
across,  until  the  string  was  full. 

Another  line  had  to  be  made  before  all  was  hung 
up ;  and  this  was  made  and  fastened  to  the  rock, 
in  a  similar  manner  as  the  first.  The  remainder 
of  the  slices  were  suspertded  upon  it,  and  all  hands 
now  desisted  from  their  labor.  Their  day's  work 
was  done ;  for  whether  it  was  night  or  day,  they 
had  been  busy  for  a  long  time,  and  on  the  com- 
pletion of  the  job  were  fain  to  betake  themselves 
once  more  to  rest. 

They  ate  their  meal,  and  lay  down  intending  to 
sleep  only  for  a  few  hours,  and  then  to  rouse  them- 
selves and  with  renewed  energies  continue  their  search 
after  the  light  of  the  sun. 


DREAMS.  337 


CHAPTER  LXI. 

DREAMS. 

I 

KARL  in  his  sleep  had  a  dream,  "  Let  there  be  light, 
and  there  was  light  ! " 

This  highly  poetic  passage  of  Scripture  had  been 
running  in  his  mind  during  the  past  hours.  He  was 
thinking  of  chaos  before  the  creation  ;  and  their  own 
situation  might  well  suggest  the  chaotic  age.  He  was 
thinking — and  reverentially — of  the  wonderful  power 
of  the  Creator,  who  out  of  such  darkness  could  cause 
light  to  shine  forth  by  the  simple  expression  of  his  will,. 
"  Let  there  be  light,  and  there  was  light ! " 

Karl  dreamt  that  a  form  had  appeared  to  them,— 
the  form  of  a  beautiful  man, — and  that  from  his  body 
a  bright  light,  similar  to  that  of  the  sun,  radiated  on  all 
sides.  Around  his  head  and  face  the  rays  were  dis- 
tributed in  the  form  of  a  glory,  such  as  Karl  had  seen 
upon  many  old  pictures  of  the  Saviour.  Looking  more 
attentively  at  the  face,  Karl  also  recognized  its  resem- 
blance to  the  same  pictures  ; — the  gentle  and  benign, 
expression,  the  noble  forehead,  and  fair  curling  hair, — 
all  were  the  same.  Karl,  who  was  of  a  religious  turn, 
believed  it  was  the  Saviour  the  saw  in  his  dream.  The 
cave  was  no  longer  in  darkness  ;  it  was  lit  up  by  the 
coruscations  of  light  that  emanated  from  the  beautiful 
vision,  and  Karl  could  see  all  around  him. 


338  DREAMS. 

After  regarding  him  for  a  while,  the  bright  form 
turned  and  moved  off,  beckoning  Karl  and  the  others  to 
follow. 

They  obeyed  ;  and,  after  traversing;  numerous  pas- 
sages and  chambers, — some  of  which  they  recognized 
as  having  passed  through  while  in  chase  of  the  bear, — • 
they  were  guided  to  the  mouth  of  the  cavern,  where 
the  strange  apparition,  meeting  the  light  of  the  sun, 
melted  into  the  air  and  disappeared  from  their  sight ! 

The  delight  which  Karl  felt,  at  this  denouement  of 
his  dream,  caused  him  to  awake  with  a  start,  and  with 
a  joyful  ejaculation  upon  his  lips.  It  was  suddenly 
suppressed,  and  followed  by  an  expression  of  pain  and 
disappointment.  The  happy  passage  had  been  only  a 
dream, — a  false  delusion.  The  reality  was  as  dark  and 
gloomy  as  ever. 

The  interjections  of  Karl  .awoke  his  companions ; 
and  Karl  perceived  that  Caspar  was  greatly  excited. 
He  could  not  see  him,  but  he  knew  by  his  talk,  that 
such  was  the  case. 

"I  have  been  dreaming,"  said  Caspar,  "a  strange 
dream.*' 

"  Dreaming  !  of  what  ?  " 

"  Oh  !  of  lights,  brother, — of  lights,"  replied  Caspar. 

Karl  was  deeply  attentive, — almost  superstitious.  He 
fancied  that  Caspar  had  seen  the  same  vision  with  him- 
self,— it  must  have  been  something  more  than  a  dream  ! 

"What  lights,  Caspar?" 

"  Oh  !  jolly  lights, — lights  enough  to  show  us  out. 
Hang  me  !  if  I  think  I  dreamt  it  after  all.  By  thun- 
der !  good  brother,  I  believe  I  was  half  awake  when 
the  idea  came  into  my  mind.  Capital  idea,  isn't  it  ?  " 


DREAMS.  33$ 

"  What  idea  ?  "  inquired  Karl  in  surprise,  and  rather 
apprehensive  that  Caspar's  dream  had  deprived  him  of 
his  senses.  "  What  idea,  Caspar  ?  " 

"  Why,  the  idea  of  the  candles,  to  be  sure." 

"  The  candles  !  What  candles  ?— Surely,  thought 
Karl,  as  he  asked  the  question, — "surely  my  poor 
brother's  inteUect  is  getting  deranged,  —  this  horrid 
darkness  is  turning  his  brain." 

"  Oh  !  I  have  not  told  you  my  dream, — if  it  was  a 
dream.  I  am  confused.  I  am  so  delighted  with  the 
idea.  We  shall  group  no  more  in  this  hideous  dark- 
ness,-— we  shall  have  light, — plenty  of  light,  I  promise 
you.  Odd  we  did  not  think  of  the  thing  before  ! " 

"  But  what  is  it,  brother  ?  What  was  your  dream 
about  ? — Tell  us  that." 

"  Well,  now  that  I  am  awake,  I  don't  think  it  was  a 
dream, — at  least,  not  a  regular  one.  I  was  thinking  of 
the  thing  before  I  fell  asleep,  and  I  kept  on  thinking 
about  it  when  I  got  to  be  half  asleep ;  and  then  I  saw 
my  way  clearer.  You  know,  brother,  I  have  before 
told  you  that  when  I  have  any  thing  upon  my  mind  that 
puzzles  me,  I  often  hit  upon  the  solution  of  it  when  I 
am  about  half  dreaming ;  and  so  it  has  been  in  this  case, 
I  am  sure  I  have  got  the  right  way  at  last." 

"Well,  Caspar,— the  right  way  to  do  what  ?  The 
right  way  to  get  out  of  the  cave  ?  " 

"I  hope  so,  brother." 

"But  what  do  you  propose  ?  " 

"I  propose  that  we  turn  tallow-chandlers." 

"  Tallow-chandlers  !    Poor  boy  ! "  soliloquized  Karl ; 
(<I  thought  as  much.     O  merciful  Heaven,  my  dear 
brother  !  his  reason  is  gone  !  " 
15* 


840  DREAMS. 

Such  were  Karl's  painful  surmises,  though  he  kept 
them  to  himself. 

"Yes,  tallow-chandlers,"  continued  Caspar,  in  the 
same  half-earnest,  half-jocular  way,  "  and  make  us  a  full 
set  of  candles." 

"And  of  what  would  you  make  your  candles,  dear 
Caspar  ?  "  inquired  Karl,  in  a  sympathizing  tone,  and 
with  the  design  of  humoring  his  brother,  rather  than 
excite  him  by  contradiction. 

"Of  what,"  echoed  Caspar,  "what  but  the  fat  of  this 
great  bear  ?  " 

"  Ha  ! "  ejaculated  Karl,  suddenly  changing  his  tone, 
as  he  perceived  that  Caspar's  madness  had  something 
of  method  in  it,  "  the  fat  of  the  bear,  you  say  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  Karl.  Isn't  his  stomach  as  full  of  tallow 
as  it  can  stick  ?  and  what's  to  hinder  us  to  make  can- 
dles out  of  it  that  will  carry  us  all  over  the  cave, — and 
out  of  it,  I  fancy,  unless  it  be  the  greatest  maze  that 
Nature  has  ever  made  out  of  rock-work  ?  " 

Karl  was  no  longer  under  the  belief  that  his  brother 
had  gone  mad.  On  the  contrary,  he  saw  that  the  latter 
had  conceived  a  very  fine  idea ;  and  though  it  did  not 
yet  appear  how  the  thing  was  to^Jbe  carried  out,  Karl 
fancied  that  there  was  something  in  it.  His  sweet 
dream  recurred  to  him,  and  this  he  now  regarded  as 
ominous  of  the  success  of  some  plan  of  escape, — per- 
haps by  the  very  means  which  Caspar  had  suggested,— 
by  making  candles  out  of  "  beards  grease  !  " 

These  were  pleasant  thoughts,  but  to  Karl  the  pleas- 
antest  thought  of  all  was  the  returning  conviction  that 
Caspar  was  still  in  his  senses  ! 


HOPES.  341 


CHAPTER    LXIL 

HOPES. 

OSSAROO  now  joined  in  the  general  joy ;  and  the 
three  placed  their  heads  together,  to  deliberate  upon 
Caspar's  suggestion,  and  to  discuss  its  feasibility  in  de- 
tail. 

But  neither  Karl  nor  Ossaroo  had  much  need  to 
spend  their  opinion  on  the  details  ;  for  the  original 
"  promoter "  of  the  plan  had  already  conceived  nearly 
the  whole  of  them.  It  was,  in  fact,  these  that  he  had 
got  hold  of  while  half  asleep ;  and  which,  on  first  awak- 
ing, he  believed  to  have  occurred  to  him  in  a  dream. 
But  there  was  no  dream  in  the  matter.  The  idea  of 
making  candles  from  the  bear's  fat  had  been  in  his  mind 
before  he  lay  down — he  had  even  thought  of  it  while 
they  were  at  work  in  curing  the  meat. 

"  Yes,"  said  he,  commencing  to  tell  them  in  detail  all 
that  had  passed  through  his  mind  upon  the  subject ;  "  I 
had  thought  of  the  candles,  while  assisting  Ossaroo  to 
cut  up  the  bear.  I  could  tell,  by  the  touch,  that  many 
pieces  of  the  meat  were  almost  pure  fat ;  and  I  won- 
dered to  myself  whether  it  would  not  burn  and  make  a 
light.  I  knew,  of  course,  that  there  was  plenty  more 
In  the  great  stomach  of  the  animal,  and  that  of  the  real 


842  HOPES. 

sort  of  which  candles  could  be  made.  Would  it  burn  ? 
that  was  the  question  that  puzzled  me.  I  feared  that 
it  would  not  burn  without  first  being  rendered  to  grease 
or  lard,  and  a  wick  put  into  it, — in  fact,  I  knew  it  could 
not ;  and  there  arose  the  difficulty,  since  we  had  no  fire 
wherewith  to  render  the  fat,  and  no  vessel  to  render  it 
in,  even  if  we  had  been  provided  with  fire  in  plenty." 

"  Ah !  that  is  too  true,"  assented  Karl,  rather  despair- 
ingly. 

"  Well,  so  thought  I,  Karl,  and  I  had  wellnigh  given 
up  thinking  about  the  matter — of  course,  I  said  nothing 
about  it  to  either  of  you — as  I  knew  you  could  not  create 
fuel  out  of  stones  any  more  than  I,  and  there  was  an 
end  of  it." 

«  Yes — an  end  of  it,"  unconsciously  echoed  Karl,  in  a 
desponding  tone. 

"  Not  yet,  brother  !  not  yet ! "  rejoined  Caspar,  as  he 
proceeded  in  his  relation.  "  You  see  the  thing  had  got 
into  my  thoughts,  and,  after  a  while,  I  found  myself 
once  more  speculating  upon  it.  How  were  we  to  make 
a  fire  that  would  melt  that  fat  ?  That  we  could  strike 
a  light,  I  knew — we  could  do  that  with  our  tinder  or 
gunpowder ;  but  where  were  we  to  get  sufficient  fuel  to 
make  a  fire  with,  and  where  was  the  vessel  to  be  ob- 
tained, in  which  to  render  the  lard  ?  At  first,  I  thought 
only  of  the  fire.  If  we  could  once  raise  fuel  for  that, 
the  vessel  would  not  be  of  so  much  importance — we 
might  contrive  to  heat  a  flat,  thin  stone,  and  melt  some 
of  the  fat  in  that  way.  If  we  could  not  make  fine  can- 
dles, we  might  dip  some  wick  in  the  grease,  and  thus 
have  a  kind  of  taper  that  would  serve  almost  as  well. 
I  knew  we  had  wick — I  remembered  the  long  hempen 


HOPES.  343 

string  which  Ossaroo  has  got,  and  I  knew  that  that 
would  serve  admirably  for  the  purpose.  All  that  would 
be  easy  enough — at  least  it  appeared  so — all  except  the 
Btuff  for  the  fire." 

"  Very  ingenious  of  you,  Caspar ;  these  things  had 
never  entered  my  mind.  Go  on,  brother  ! " 

"  Well — to  make  a  long  story  short,  I  have  got  the 
fuel." 

"  Bravo !  good !  good ! "  exclaimed  Karl  and  Ossaroo 
in  a  breath,  and  in  accents  of  joy.  "  You  have  got  the 
fuel?" 

"  Yes— I  found  it,  at  length  ;  just  as  I  was  bobbing 
over  asleep,  the  idea  crossed  my  mind  ;  though  I  fan- 
cied I  was  only  dreaming,  and  must  have  afterwards 
fallen  asleep.  But  I  partially  awoke  shortly  after,  and 
took  to  thinking  again ;  and  then  I  found  the  vessel  in 
which  we  can  render  our  tallow — I  think  we  can." 

"  Hurrah  !  better  than  all !  " 

"  And  now,  listen  to  my  plan ;  for  I  have  been  think- 
ing while  I  have  been  talking,  and  I  have  it  more  com- 
plete than  ever.  Maybe  you  can  both  add  something, 
but  here  is  what  I  propose." 

"  Tell  us,  Caspar — all  right,  go  on." 

"  We  have  with  us  two  guns — Ossaroo  has  his  spear, 
his  hatchet,  his  bow,  and  a  good  quiver  of  arrows — for- 
tunately his  quiver,  too,  is  of  thick  bamboo,  and  dry  as 
a  chip.  First,  then,  I  propose  that,  with  Ossaroo's  axe, 
we  break  up  the  stocks  of  our  guns,  ramrods,  and  all— 
we  can  soon  make  others,  once  we  get  out — also  the 
shaft  of  Ossaroo's  spear,  his  bow,  arrows,  and  quiver — • 
never  mind,  Ossaroo,  you  can  replace  them  from  the 
forest.  This  being  done,  we  can  make  a  fire  large 


344  HOPES. 

enough  to  melt  as  much  fat  as  will  make  us  no  end  of 
dips." 

"  You  are  right,  brother,"  interposed  Karl ;  "  but  how 
about  the  vessel  to  melt  it  in  ?  " 

"  That  puzzled  me  for  a  while,"  replied  the  ingenious 
Caspar ;  "  but  I  got  over  the  difficulty,  at  length,  by 
thinking  of  my  powder-flask  ;  you  know  it  is  a  patent 
one,  and  the  top  screws  off.  Well — we  can  take  off  the 
top,  empty  the  powder  into  one  of  our  pockets,  and 
make  use  of  the  bottom  rJart  for  the  lard.  I  am  sure  it 
will  stand  the  fire,  for  it  is  stout  copper  without  a  flaw. 
The  only  difficulty 4s,  that  it  is  small ;  but  we  can  fill  it 
over  and  over  again." 

"  And  you  propose  to  make  the  string  which  Ossaroo 
has  got  into  wicks,  and  dip  them  in  the  hot  grease  ?  " 

"  Nothing  of  the  sort,"  replied  Caspar,  in  a  triumph- 
ant tone ;  we  shall  have  no  dips.  I  was  contented  with 
them  at  first,  but  not  any  longer.  We  shall  have  can- 
dles— real  mould-candles  !  " 

"  How  ?     Mould-candles  ?     How  ?  " 

Oh !  that  you  shall  see  by-and-by.  Ossaroo  would 
only  disclose  part  of  his  plans  when  he  went  to  trap  the 
tiger,  and  I  mean  to  keep  a  little  of  mine  to  myself,  in 
order  to  have  a  revanche  upon  him.  Ha !  ha !  ha  !  " 

Caspar  finished  his  speech  with  a  laugh.  It  was  the 
first  time  any  of  them  had  laughed  since  they  entered 
that  cave — no  doubt,  the  first  laugh  that  ever  echoed 
through  its  gloomy  aisles. 


LIGHT   IN   DARKNESS.  345 


CHAPTER  LXIIL 

LIGHT     IN    DARKNESS. 

WITHOUT  losing  farther  time,  the  three  set  to  work 
to  make  the  fire,  Caspar  of  course  taking  the  direction. 
The  barrels  were  first  taken  out  of  their  guns,  the  locks 
unscrewed,  and  then  the  other  iron-work  was  removed 
from  the  stocks.  By  dint  of  a  little  hammering  with 
stones,  and  cleaving  with  the  hatchet,  the  butt  of  each 
was  separated  from  the  heel-piece,  and  then  broken  up 
into  small  fragments.  Even  the  two  ramrods  were 
sacrificed — the  heads  and  screws  being  carefully  pre- 
served. In  no  reckless  humor  did  they  act,  for  they 
had  now  very  definite  expectations  of  being  able  to  es- 
cape from  the  cave ;  and  prudence  whispered  them  that 
the  valuable  weapons  they  were  thus  dismantling  might 
be  needed  hereafter,  as  much  as  ever  they  had  been. 
Nothing,  therefore,  was  damaged  that  could  not  be 
afterwards  replaced — nothing  thrown  away.  Only  the 
wooct-work  was  sacrificed  to  present  necessity.  Every 
article  of  iron,  to  the  smallest  nail  or  screw,  was  care- 
fully preserved ;  and  when  all  were  separated  from  the 
wood-work,  they  were  placed  together  and  tied  into  a 
bundle,  so  that  they  might  be  easily  carried  along. 

Ossaroo's  weapon  went  "  to  the  hammer  "  next.     The 


846  LIGHT    IN    DARKNESS. 

spear-head  was  knocked  off,  and  the  long  shaft  broken 
into  a  dozen  pieces.  The  bow  was  unstringed  and  cut 
into  chips,  and  then  the  arrows  were  snapped  across, 
and  the  quiver  split  up.  All  these  would  be  excellent- 
materials,  and  from  their  age  and  dryness  would  ignite 
and  burn  like  touch-wood. 

An  important  addition  to  their  stock  of  fuel  was  ob- 
tained from  a  source  up  to  this  time  quite  unthought  of. 
They  now  remembered  the  two  large  handles  by  which 
they  had  carried  the  torches  ;  for  they  had  made  them 
with  handles  something  after  the  fashion  of  a  stable- 
broom.  These  had  been  dropped  at  the  time  the  torches 
went  out,  and  were  lying  somewhere  near  the  spot. 
All  three  set  to  "  grambling,"  and  soon  found  both  of 
them ;  and  better  still,  found  them  with  a  considerable 
quantity  of  the  resinous  splits  of  the  pine  still  attached 
to  their  ends. 

This  was  a  bit  of  good  luck,  for  the  pine-chips  thus 
obtained  would  be  the  very  thing  wherewith  to  kindle 
the  fire.  Already  well  seasoned,  and  covered  with  the 
resin,  that  had  run  over  them  from  the  burning  torches, 
they  would  catch  like  gunpowder  itself. 

The  whole  of  the  fire-wood  was  now  collected  to- 
gether, and  formed  a  goodly  pile.  There  would  be 
enough  for  their  purpose,  even  without  the  handle  of 
Ossaroo's  hatchet,  which  was  still  left  in  its  socket.  It 
could  be  drawn  out  at  any  time,  but  very  likely  would 
not  be  required. 

Now  it  was  clear  to  all  of  them,  that  their  little  stock 
of  fuel,  if  set  fire  to  in  the  ordinary  way,  would  burn 
too  rapidly,  and  become  exhausted  long  before  their 
candle-making  operations  could  be  completed.  This 


LIGHT   IN   DARKNESS.  34? 

would  be  a  sad  dilemma,  and  would  leave  them  in  a 
worse  situation  than  ever.  Means,  therefore,  must  be 
taken  to  avoid  such  a  catastrophe,  and  means  were 
adopted,  as  follows : — 

They  first  set  to  work,  and  constructed  a  little  furnaco 
of  only  six  or  eight  inches  in  diameter.  This  they 
easily  built  out  of  the  loose  blocks  of  stone  that  were 
lying  about.  In  this  furnace  they  placed  a  portion  of 
their  fire-wood — for  it  is  well  known  that  the  furnace 
is  the  best  plan  for  economizing  fuel.  The  whole  of 
the  heat  is  thrown  upwards,  and  a  vessel  placed  on  top 
will  receive  double  the  heat  that  it  would,  if  hung  over 
a  scattered  fire  that  is  open  on  all  sides. 

But  another  important  consideration  led  them  to  the 
building  of  the  furnace. 

They  saw  that  when  the  light-wood  should  be  fairly 
kindled,  they  could  prevent  it  from  blazing  too  rapidly, 
by  casting  upon  it  pieces  of  the  bear's  fat ;  and  in  this 
way  not  only  prolong  the  burning  of  the  wood,  but  make 
a  much  stronger  fire.  This  idea  was  a  very  happy  one, 
and  at  once  secured  them  against  a  scarcity  of  fuel  for 
their  purpose.  The  furnace  was  made  very  narrow  at 
the  top,  and  two  stones  were  placed  so  that  the  powder- 
flask, — emptied  of  its  contents  of  course — should  rest 
between  them,  and  catch  the  full  strength  of  the  upward 
blaze. 

All  these  things  were  arranged  without  light,  but 
when  they  had  proceeded  thus  far,  they  worked  no 
longer  in  the  darkness.  The  chips  were  placed  in  the 
bottom  of  the  furnace — the  tinder  was  ignited  by  means 
of  flint  and  steel — its  burning  edge  was  placed  in  con- 
tact with  the  fine  resin-covered  shavings  of  pine-wood  ; 


LIGHT   IN   DARKNESS. 

and  in  another  instant  the  great  vault,  that  had  so  late 
been  buried  in  amorphous  gloom,  was  sparkling  like  a 
chamber  set  with  diamonds  ! 

The  light  enabled  all  three  to  do  their  work  with 
rapidity  and  sureness. 

Ossaroo  was  seen  over  the  skeleton  carcass  cutting 
out  the  huge  masses  of  tallow,  and  placing  it  upon  the 
rocks.  Karl  was  busy  in  attending  to  the  fire,  which, 
now  that  it  had  received  several  pieces  of  the  fat, 
burned  brightly  and  steadily — while  Caspar  stood  near 
occupied  with  the  barrels  of  his  gun. 

What  was  Caspar  doing  with  the  gun?  Surely  it 
could  be  of  no  service  now,  without  either  stock  or  lock  ? 
Ah  !  you  mistake.  It  was  just  now  that  it  became  of 
service,  and  of  great  service.  Only  watch  Caspar  a 
little,  and  you  will  see  that  he  has  an  object  in  handling 
that  brace  of  barrels.  Observe! — he  has  unscrewed 
both  the  nipples,  and  is  drawing  the  end  of  a  string 
through  each  of  them.  The  other  end  of  these  strings 
may  be  seen  protruding  from  the  barrels  at  the  muzzle. 
Those  strings  are  wicks  already  prepared  from  the 
hempen  cord  of  Ossaroo,  and  .you  need  not  now  be  told 
what  use  Caspar  intends  to  make  of  his  beautiful  smooth 
bores,  for  by  this  time  you  will  have  guessed  it. 

"  Candle-moulds  of  course  ! "  I  hear  you  exclaim. 

"  Candle-moulds  of  course,"  I  reply ;  and  most  ex- 
cellent moulds  they  will  make,  almost  as  good  as  if  that 
had  been  the  original  design  in  their  construction. 

Well,  the  work  went  on — the  wicks  were  got  into 
their  places — and  as  soon  as  the  first  flask  of  tallow 
was  rendered  into  grease,  it  was  poured  into  one  of  the 
barrels.  This  process  was  repeated  again  and  again, 


LIGHT    IN    DARKNESS.  349 

and  several  times  more,  until,  to  the  great  delight  of  all, 
both  barrels  were  observed  to  be  full  to  the  muzzle. 

Of  course  the  barrels  were  hot,  and  thfe  grease  inside 
them  still  in  a  liquid  state.  It  would  be  necessary, 
therefore,  to  wait  patiently  until  they  should  cool,  and 
the  candles  become  "  frozen "  and  firm.  In  order  to 
hasten  this  result,  they  carried  them  to  the  place  where 
the  water  dripped  from  the  roof  of  the  cavern ;  and, 
resting  them  in  an  upright  position — so  that  the  drops 
might  fall  upon,  and  trickle  along  the  barrels — they 
there  left  them,  and  returned  to  the  fire. 

This  was  instantly  put  out — all  excepting  a  slight 
spark  or  two  to  assist  in  rekindling  it.  It  was  a  wise 
precaution,  for  they  knew  they  would  have  a  long  while 
to  wait  for  the  cooling  of  the  candles,  and  they  designed 
making  at  least  another  cast,  before  attempting  to  stir 
from  the  spot.  On  examining  their  stock  of  fuel,  they 
saw  that  it  would  be  sufficient  to  melt  the  tallow  for 
another  pair — they  had  string  enough  for  wicks — and 
of  the  grease  the  great  carcass  afforded  them  an  abun- 
dance. 

You  will  wonder  why  the  barrel  of  Karl's  gun  was 
not  also  brought  into  requisition.  That  is  easily  ex- 
plained. Karl's  piece  was  a  rifle,  and  on  account  of 
the  grooves  inside  would  not  have  served  at  all  for 
such  a  purpose.  Had  they  attemped  to  mould  a  candle 
in  it,  the  candle  could  not  have  been  drawn  out,  and 
they  would  only  have  wasted  their  labor.  This  they 
knew,  and  therefore  did  not  make  the  attempt. 

During  the  interval  they  employed  themselves  in 
"  flaxing  out "  the  remainder  of  the  hempen  cord,  and 
preparing  it  for  wicks.  They  also  enjoyed  a  meal  of 


850  LIGHT   IN   DARKNESS. 

the  bear's-meat — this  time  properly  cooked — for  during 
the  continuance  of  the  little  fire,  they  had  taken  the 
opportunity  to  broil  themselves  a  steak  or  two  ;  and 
after  eating  this,  they  felt  in  much  better  case  to  con- 
tinue their  labors. 

They  waited  patiently  until  the  time  came  round  for 
drawing  the  candles.  It  was  a  good  long  while,  but  the 
time  arrived  at  length,  when  the  barrels  became  cold  as 
ice,  and  the  tallow  inside  appeared  to  be  frozen  as 
hard. 

The  fire  was  now  rekindled — the  iron  moulds  were 
slightly  heated  in  the  blaze ;  and  then  the  pull  was 
given,  slow  and  steady.  A  shout  of  joy  hailed  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  long  white  cylinder  as  it  came  softly 
gliding  from  the  muzzle,  until  full  three  feet  of  a  beau- 
tiful candle  were  revealed  to  the  eyes  of  the  delighted 
trio.  The  second  "  draw  "  succeeded  equally  well ;  and 
a  brace  of  huge  candles,  each  as  big  as  three  "  sixes," 
were  now  completely  moulded  and  ready  to  be  lit. 

A  trial  was  immediately  made,  when  it  was  found 
that  both  burned  beautifully. 

After  a  short  while,  another  brace  was  added ;  and 
they  had  now  at  their  command  light  enough  to  last 
them  for  a  period  of  nearly  a  hundred  hours !  They 
could  still  have  moulded  more  candles — for  neither  their 
fat  nor  their  fuel  was  exhausted — but  surely  they  had 
enough  ?  Surely  in  a  hundred  hours  they  would  look 
upon  a  far  lovelier  light — the  light  of  the  glorious  sun  ? 

And  they  did  so   in  far  less  time — in  less  than  the 
twentieth  part  of  a  hundred  hours,  they  gazed  upon  the 
orb  of  day. 
•     I  shall  not  detail   their  wanderings  backward  and 


LIGHT   IN   DARKNESS.  351 

forward,  upward  and  downward,  through  the  vaulted 
galleries  of  that  stupendous  cavern !  Suffice  it  to  say, 
that  the  bright  spot  indicating  the  entrance  at  length 
flashed  before  their  eyes  like  a  meteor ;  and  dropping 
the  candles  from  their  fingers  they  rushed  forth,  and 
once  more  gazed  with  delighted  eyes  upon  the  shining 
face  of  heaven) 


852  CONCLUSION, 


CHAPTER  LXIV. 

CONCLUSION. 

You  will  imagine  that  after  such  a  perilous  adventure 
in  the  great  cave,  they  would  never  again  set  foot  with- 
in its  gloomy  precincts.  Neither  would  they,  had  any 
mode  of  escaping  from  their  other  prison — the  valley 
itself — been  offered.  But  they  could  think  of  none, 
and  there  still  lingered  in  their  mind  some  slight  hopes 
that  one  or  other  of  the  many  passages  of  the  cave  might 
lead  through  the  mountains,  or  have  an  opening  at  the 
top  of  the  cliffs. 

Slight  as  were  the  grounds  for  hope,  they  could  not 
give  them  up  until  they  should  satisfy  themselves  by  a 
complete  and  thorough  exploration  ;  and  for  more  than 
a  week  after  their  adventure,  they  employed  themselves 
in  making  huge  torches  and  moulding  candles  for  this 
purpose. 

A  large  quantity  of  both  were  at  length  prepared, 
and  the  exploration  commenced. 

Day  after  day  they  entered  the  cavern — each  day 
making  an  excursion  that  lasted  for  several  hours.  Day 
by  day  they  continued  their  fruitless  search — fruitless, 
since  no  outlet  could  be  found. 

But  it  was  not  till  after  weeks  thus  spent — till  after 


CONCLUSION.  3£3 

they  had  traversed  every  vault  of  that  stupendous 
cavern,  and  traced  every  passage  to  its  termination  in 
the  rocks,  that  they  resigned  all  hope,  and  gave  up  in 
despair. 

When  the  last  day's  search  was  ended,  and  they  had 
emerged  from  the  cave,  never  to  enter  it  again,  all  three 
might  have  been  seen  seated  upon  the  rocks  near  its 
mouth,  in  attitudes  and  with  looks  that  betokened  a 
deep  and  hopeless  despair. 

For  a  long  time  they  sat  in  silence.  The  same 
thought  was  in  the  minds  of  all — the  one  painful  thought, 
that  they  were  hopelessly  cut  off  from  all  communica- 
tion with  the  world,  and  would  never  again  look  on 
human  faces  save  their  own ! 

Caspar  was  the  first  to  break  silence. 

"  Oh  !  "  groaned  he,  "  it  is  an  awful  fate — an  awful 
fate — here  must  we  live — here  must  we  die — far  away 
from  home — from  the  world — alone,  alone,  oh !  " 

"  Not  alone,  Caspar,"  replied  Karl,  making  an  effort 
to  look  cheerful, — "  not  alone,  for  God  is  with  us.  From 
this  time  forth  let  us  strive  to  forget  the  world,  and 
make  Him  our  companion.  Let  God  be  our  world  I" 


THE   END. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  OEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


20Aug'B7PT 
>p  UP 

$tf 


•   --:••.'  :;.i' 

* 


(\UG  3  0 

61986 


HAY  .1  1998 


BY 

9.*''-  s 
;\ON 


LD  21-100w-6,'56 
(B9311slO)476 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


**"* 


